There's A Light At the End Of the Tunnel
by miley-avril
Summary: Emma gets seriously injured while she and Graham are figuring out who robbed Mr. Gold's house... again. He gets to take care of her. As it turns out, one thing leads to another and they end up being forced to admit their feelings for each other. Pure Gremma fluff, appearences by Mary Margaret, Henry, Mr. Gold, and Regina. Rated T for mild language, loosely follows the show.
1. Chapter 1

**SO… I SHOULD UPDATE MY OTHER STORIES (I WILL EVENTUALLY JUST KIDDING, SOON). I CAN'T GET THE IDEA OF EMMA GETTING HURT AND GRAHAM GOING ALL CONCERNED LOVER (HE'S SO ADORABLE WHEN HE'S… WELL, ALL THE TIME). SO YEAH. THIS DOESN'T REALLY TAKE PLACE AT ANY CERTAIN TIME. IT'S BEFORE 'THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER'. IF I CHOOSE TO CONTINUE, LET'S ALL PRETEND REGINA DIDN'T SQUISH HIS HEART.**

**DON'T OWN IT. IF I DID, GRAHAM WOULD BE ALIVE AND WITH EMMA.**

Graham rang the doorbell while he and his deputy waited for Mr. Gold to open the door. They had gotten a call from him ten minutes earlier stating that his extravagant house had been broken into. It was barely 7:30 in the morning, and the sheriff had had to call Emma in a little early. Needless to say, he had promised her more donuts.

"Sheriff Graham, Miss Swan." Gold nods a greeting, opening the door wide for them. "Thank you for coming so quickly."

"I think you should just get used to people breaking into your house." Emma says, stomping past the shrewd man. Graham now knew that she was definitely not a morning person. He offered Gold an apologetic smile. "I can't imagine _why_ someone would want to break in." She says sarcastically, eyeing the place.

"So what was taken?" Graham asks, figuring the best course of action was to get in and out, get the woman her donuts, and let her pretend to work while she played solitaire.

"Something very valuable." He says cryptically.

"Really?" She raises an eyebrow. "We're gonna do this again? Last time something _very valuable_ was taken, it was a chipped teacup. Just tell us what it is. I'm betting a bowl."

"That holds _sentimental_ value, Miss Swan. Surely you can understand that?" Gold knows perfectly well what he's saying, and fights the urge to grin at the blonde's obvious discomfort and ignores the glare.

"So it's a bowl?" She says with venom. The tension is so high you could cut it, so Graham jumps in.

"What was stolen?"

"A box, Sheriff. It contains some jewelry." He answers.

"How much is some?" Emma moves closer, deciding it was time to put differences aside and do her job. For this, Graham is grateful. He's already in hot water with Regina from having hired her nemesis, and he really doesn't want to be on the bad side of the two most powerful people in the town (and probably for miles).

"A lot."

"How much is all of it worth?" Graham asks.

"Around twenty grand." At this, both of them are astounded. They can't even imagine having twenty thousand dollars in jewelry.

"Where was it located?"

"Upstairs. It was locked." Gold says.

"Emma, dust for prints." Graham says, then gestures to Gold. "Let's talk about who has access to your house." From the doorway, they hear Emma grumble,

"Regina."

After looking for evidence and coming up with a set of prints they needed to run back at the station, Graham pulled the cruiser into the parking lot.

"Why don't you see if we can get a hint on the prints while I get you your donut." He says.

"Okay." She says after a moment of thought.

"What kind do you like?" Graham asks.

"Chocolate with chocolate frosting." He nods, and hops out of the car to cross the street. As she opens the door to the station, he calls,

"Sprinkles or no sprinkles?"

She makes a face. "I hate sprinkles." He can only smile. Five minutes later he walks back in carrying two bags. He hands her one. "I didn't want your frosting to get wrecked, _Princess_."

"Thanks." She takes the bag and takes a bite, closing her eyes to savor the taste.

"What, they don't have the same donuts in Boston?" Graham smirks.

"No. Dunkin Donuts is never this good." She takes another bite. "Oh!" She almost chokes. "We got a hit. Mathew Cursory is the lucky winner. He has a long RAP sheet, too. Four priors, but no sentencing. There were never convictions. God, they were for assault and battery, striking a police officer…" She glances at Graham. "Robbery and resisting arrest. This kid's talented."

"Spoken like a true professional; and Regina tried telling me that you weren't qualified." He shakes his head.

"I take it you're familiar with him?"

"Yeah. He really likes to run."

"I bet Regina really likes _him_." Emma forces herself to calmly place the folder down so she doesn't scatter paper everywhere.

"Just because someone doesn't get convicted doesn't mean they are friends with the mayor." Graham says.

"You filed these reports yourselves." She insists, though not even sure why she cares so much that the kid hurt him. "You know what happened. There were probably other witnesses, too."

"I really don't know why he didn't face the consequences, Emma. I'm sorry. Matt probably has a horrible home life, and I think that's something nobody should have to deal with, no matter how many bad things they've done." He doesn't need to continue.

"Yeah." She agrees solemnly, understanding clearly conveyed through her eyes. She's silent for a moment, as if remembering something, before continuing. "We should probably pick him up."

"Yeah." Graham sighs and pushes himself out of the chair. "Yeah, I guess we should." They hop in the car and drive down slowly in silence. Graham's knuckles are white on the steering wheel. Emma notices.

"You okay?"

"Me? Yeah." He says, giving a nervous laugh. "I just… I don't know. It sucks to have to bring teens in, you know? They're too young to realize just what this does to their future. It never gets any easier. Matt's kind of a firecracker. He always runs. He punched me. I have no idea if he'll pull a gun. It wouldn't be good if my deputy got injured within a month or so of getting the job." Emma smiles, trying her best to ignore the flutter in her stomach.

"It'll be okay." She almost frowns when she realizes that that was in no way reassuring. "I mean, there's two of us and one of him. We know he runs. We're prepared, Graham. I promise you it'll go smoothly."

"Thanks, Emma." He reaches over and squeezes her hand. She squeezes back, surprising herself. After another minute he pulls over. "Well, here we are." Emma looks at the small house. It looks as if it's falling apart. There's a narrow walkway along the side of it that is now overgrown with weeds. With a little more care, it would have been a charming little place. Then Mathew Cursory comes out the side door into the walk, sees them and bolts.

"He's running!" Graham yells and starts a little late. Emma's in front as they clear a fence leading into the neighbor's yard.

"Why do they _always_ have to run?" He hears Emma mutter as they continue the pursuit.

"I told you he does." Graham calls back, trying to figure out if the teen was going to go left or right as they came up to a road. Mathew looks to the left and holds his gaze there. Emma knows what he's doing and breaks right and Graham is about to tell her she's going the wrong way when Matt goes right. Intercepting him, Emma tackles him to the ground and Graham skids to a stop behind them. He extends his hand and pulls her up. She's about to ask him why he ran when his leg shoots up, clocking her ankle and sending her to the ground. Why this angers Graham is something he doesn't know, but he's seeing red as he lands on top of Matt, pinning his hands to the dirt and shoving his knee into his ribs.

"Ow! Cool, it Sheriff." Matt chokes out, his breathing ragged and his face pained. "I think you gave me a double concussion."

"Emma, you okay?" Graham ignores him for the moment. His only concern is her.

"Yeah." She answers, and he doesn't quite buy it. For now, though, he lets it slide. Whatever's wrong isn't life threatening. As much as he wants to check her over, he knows he can't; he has to do his job.

"Mathew Cursory, you are under arrest for breaking and entering, theft, resisting arrest, and assault of a police officer. I am obligated to read you your Miranda rights unless you know them already."

"I do." He mumbles.

"Wow. You managed to copy your RAP sheet all in one day. That takes skill." Emma says from her low vantage point, still on the ground. Graham gives her a puzzled look as he pushes Mathew toward the cruiser. "I'm going to process the house, see if we can find Gold's stuff." She says. Graham gives her a look but continues with the kid. Once he's sure Mathew can't get out of the car he goes back to find Emma still on the ground, smiling up at him.

"What happened?" He takes a moment to smirk in return, looking down at her. Then he sits down next to her.

"Um… I think I sprained my ankle?" It's more of a question than a statement, and he can't help but laugh. She's so cute when she knows she's in trouble. He's thrilled that she's allowing him to see her like this; she's relaxed and smiling at something that isn't Henry.

"I thought I told you not to get hurt." He says.

"Oops." They laugh again.

"Have you ever sprained your ankle before?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Have you ever broken it?"

"Nope. Again, why?"

"Cause if you know what a sprained ankle feels like, chances are you're right." He presses on it lightly. She hisses. "That hurts?"

"Yeah." It's already turning green and swelling and he doesn't like it one bit. He frowns and gets up.

"Can you walk?" It's a stupid question, but he's starting to think it's more than sprained. If it can hold some weight, chances are it's not broken. The adrenalin's starting to wear off and she's fully aware of the shooting pain that alternates with throbbing.

"Yeah." She sounds confident and Graham helps her up again, standing on one leg. He gives her a look of disbelief and she continues. "When I sprained my ankle before I was skateboarding with my foster brother and fell off. We weren't even supposed to be that far from the house and he freaked and ran. I had to walk back. Trust me I'm fine-" She is once again falling toward the pavement when Graham catches her and she groans in pain.

"Emma, this isn't normal." He insists. "Let me go get the car. I'll help you sit down."

"I can hop." She's too stubborn for her own good and most of the time he's amused, but now he isn't. Now he's agitated. She could really hurt herself.

"No. I'm going to plop you down in the grass so you don't get run over. Then I'm going to bring the car over. You're going to wait for me to get out and get you in. After that we're going to the hospital. We'll go from there." She opens her mouth to argue but he gives her a stern look. "No if's, and's, or but's." He picks her up, and she starts flailing the best she can in her state. He puts her down gently, and guides her to the ground where she looks up at him, pouting and just a little annoyed. "Stay here. I'll be back in a minute." He sprints to the car and jams the keys in the ignition. He swears when he sees Matt sitting in the back. Emma wasn't going to like this one bit. Sighing, he calls her cell phone. On the fourth ring she picks up.

"Don't tell me he ran again." She's sarcastic, and if there's a bit of a bite to her voice he chalks it up to the pain.

"Oh no, he's here." He gets out and slams the door, walking a few feet from the car. He knows his deputy pretty well. Either he would be unhappy or she would; there was no way there could be a happy medium. Realizing he'd rather have him deal with a little anxiety rather than making her grumpier, he makes his decision. "I have two plans. I could come pick you up now with him or I could lock him up at the station and come back. I have the siren."

"It'll take you less than five minutes if you go fast. Do that first." She says after a moment. "I don't want him to get the satisfaction of knowing that he broke my ankle." He can't help but smile a little at her antics as he says goodbye. He loves her determination and grit and strength. He loves the way her eyes light up when she smiles. He loves everything about her and that's why he's willing to drive Mathew Cursory to the station before putting her in the car just to keep her happy. He puts his lights on to get people out of his way as he speeds down the street going as fast as he would on a highway. He all but throws Matt into the cell and locks it. He does the same thing going back. He hops out and picks the blonde up.

"How fast did you go?" This time, she doesn't struggle. This makes him worry even more.

"70." He answers as he gets in the driver's side.

"Graham, you could've gotten into a car accident!"

"I was being careful." He insists.

"When I said 'go fast' I didn't mean _that_ fast. I was fine." She realizes her hands are shaking as she gestures and puts them in her lap.

"I wasn't going to let you sit on the side of a road with a broken ankle for five minutes." He says, and forces himself to ease off of the gas pedal. She was in his sight now. He feels as though they're going agonizingly slow as they make their way to the hospital. "How do you feel?"

"It hurts like a bitch." She answers, resting her head on the seat. Her voice holds almost none of the usual sarcasm and fire.

"We're almost there." He says, grabbing one of her hands. It physically hurts to see her like this. He hates how powerless he feels. Graham has a difficult time keeping his eyes on the road. He glances at her every few seconds to make sure she doesn't pass out on him. He's not sure if she has a concussion, too. If she does, falling asleep could be deadly. He sees her turn her head and wipe under her eyes. When they stop at a red light he looks at the ankle which has swelled an impressive amount and is looking almost like the back of a mirror. Graham swallows. "That doesn't look good, Em." She follows his gaze and squeezes tighter in response as she fights more tears. The light turns and Graham floors it the rest of the way. "I'm gonna get a wheel chair, okay?" She nods. He really doesn't like this. In a few second he's back and puts her in, practically running as he walks into the ER. The receptionist instantly recognizes the two and brings them to a room.

"I'm Lily." She says. "I'm going to take your vitals while you tell me what happened." Lily wrapped a blood pressure cuff around Emma's arm, as well as an O2 stat reader.

"We were arresting somebody and I think she broke her ankle." Graham decides Emma's not going to be talking much.

"How?" She writes the numbers down.

"I got kicked." Emma says.

"Okay. I just paged Dr. Whale so he should be here in a few minutes." Right on cue he bustles in.

"Hey." He gives a wave. "What happened?"

"I broke my ankle." Emma grits out, clearly not in the mood for going in circles. Dr. Whale seems to understand this.

"I think we should get an x-ray so we can see what's going on." He hands her a johnny. "You'll need to put this on." He leaves to tell Radiology that she'll be down soon.

"Graham…" She sounds so defeated he really thinks his heart is about to split in two. Tears silently fall down her face.

"Let me help." He pulls her into a sitting position on the edge of the bed. She's able to get her shirt off, but after that it all goes downhill. He's glad that she chose to wear low sneakers today as he pulls the one on her left foot off. He pauses when he sees her right. His hands are shaking as he unties it, trying to make it as loose as possible to slip off. "Like a band-aid?" He looks up at her.

"No." Emma shakes her head.

"Okay, we'll take it slow." He wishes he could hold her hand, but he needs both of his to do this. He begins to pull, and she sucks in a breath and bites her lip, trying to hold back yelps. "Maybe we should get some morphine." Graham can't do this. He can't hurt her.

"They're not gonna until they know what's wrong." She says.

"I think it's pretty clear, Emma. Let me get Lily." He starts to get up and her hand shoots out, pulling him back down.

"Don't go." It's a plea and it's followed by strangled sobs. In a last desperate attempt to do _something_, he frantically looks around. His eyes fall on a scalpel.

"How much do you like those shoes?" He asks.

"Not as much as-" She doesn't have time to finish. He jumps up and grabs it before she can change her mind. He expertly buts the shoe, taking it off in a few chunks. He looks at her jeans. She seems to know what he's thinking. "I like these."

"I don't know if we can get them off, Emma. Your ankle's too swollen." She follows his gaze to the black and blue appendage. If she wasn't groaning in pain he would've taken the time to formulate another plan, but he can't. "I'm really sorry." He starts cutting, making a slit the entire length of the denim. He does the same to the other side. Then he carefully cuts the waist, and pulls them off. They're in half and she looks at them.

"I can find another pair." She's sitting there only in her bra and panties, but he doesn't notice. Honestly, he doesn't really care. Sure she's beautiful, but he isn't a shallow man. Since she arrived in Storybrooke, he's felt guilty every time he left Regina's. He does his best to make excuses not to go, but it doesn't always work.

"Let's get you in this." He says. "If you lean on me, do you think you can stand on one leg while I tie it?"

"We can try." She reaches out and they eventually get her up. She's wobbly and weak, and he's scared she's going to pass out. He puts it on and ties it, and helps her lay back down.

"Let me tell Lily we're ready." A few minutes later Lily comes in and brings the railings up on the bed.

"Let's take you down." She says.

"Can we get her something for the pain first?" Graham asks.

"We have a policy that we can't until they're diagnosed. Obviously, if her hand got chopped off then we know what's wrong and it would be a different story. But we don't know how bad the break is." Lily explains.

"Then let's do this fast." Emma's stopped crying but still shoots Graham worried looks every once in a while. They get down to Radiology. Graham tries to step in but the technician stops him.

"Sorry. You can't go in."

"I'll be right here when you get out, Emma." He smiles at her, and she returns it, letting go of his hand.

"I know you will." It seems like it takes forever. He sits outside the room and really thinks. He realizes that he loves Emma Swan. He thinks that she has some feelings for him, too. She trusts him. She smiles at him. He remembers when she thought he had ordered her hot chocolate. At the time it seemed like a simple mistake, but now he starts to believe that she had wanted it to be from him. The door opens and Lily rolls Emma out, who looks worse for wear.

"What happened?" She definitely didn't look that bad when she went in.

"We had to get her on the table and press on it a little bit." Lily answers. Anger surges through Graham, and he has to take a few calming breaths before saying anything.

"What did the x-ray show?"

"Ken's going to read it and give the results to Dr. Whale. Sorry." She gives him an apologetic look. He wants answers _now_. Logically, though, he knows it's not Lily's fault and she's just doing her job. So he holds Emma's hand to keep from clenching his fists. They stay silent until they're back in their room.

"I'm sorry, Emma." He blinks back tears.

"It's okay. I could've done this when I fell off a curb. It's not your fault." She attempts to smile but falls short.

"I knew this was going to happen." He insists. Normally Emma can't stand macho-overprotective guys, but she doesn't mind this. For once someone's looking out for her, and not for their own personal gain. Graham truly cares about her.

"There's nothing you could have done. In a few weeks we'll be joking about this. All that matters is you're here now."

"I'm never going to leave." He declares. He leans in and places a kiss on her forehead. She smiles. Of course Dr. Whale chooses now to come in.

"I have the results." Even for him, he looks grim. Graham never liked the guy; he didn't seem to care for his patients. Both stay silent, and he continues. "There's a general break, although nothing too serious was damaged. If it was just that, it wouldn't be as big of a deal. A piece of your Tibia broke off on the bottom and pierced the surrounding muscle. Luckily your Achilles Tendon was missed, but not by much. There's internal bleeding. It's going to require surgery." Graham whips out his cell phone and texts Mary Margaret and Henry, already knowing what Emma wants. Sensing neither of them had questions, Dr. Whale left. Graham sits on the edge of the bed.

"Mary Margaret and Henry are on their way. Henry's sneaking out, but…" He shrugs. "If Regina asks, I needed to interview him as a witness. He might've seen Mathew walking around with Mr. Gold's jewelry."

"You should go look for it." Emma says.

"Absolutely not. When I said I'll never leave you, I meant it." He says firmly. "Besides, Matt's not getting out. Maybe thinking we left him there will straighten him out." Lily came back in, holding a small syringe.

"I brought some morphine." She says.

"A little bit." Emma says. "I don't want to be acting drunk when Henry gets here."

"Dr. Whale paged the on-call surgeon. He should be here in 20 minutes." Lily says as she injects half of it into Emma's IV. Mary Margaret comes running in, breathless.

"Oh my God what happened!"

"I broke my ankle. It's not a big deal." Emma shrugs.

"You need surgery!" She doesn't know why she's so frantic, or why these maternal feelings keep coming to the surface.

"It's not open heart surgery. Just my ankle."

"You feel better yet?" Graham asks.

"Yeah." Emma answers, nodding her head.

"I'm glad."

"What if Henry crashes his bike?" That was the morphine talking. At least it wasn't about colors yet.

"He knows how to ride his bike really well. He'll be fine." Mary Margaret assures her.

"Who taught him?"

"Obviously Regina."

"_Her_?" Emma giggles. "She doesn't even have time to give him a hug."

"Is she like this when she's drunk?" Graham asks, not able to hide his smile of amusement. If that was the case, he'd get her drunk every night.

"No." The brunette frowns, playing with her ring. "She laughs more when she's sober." Scratch that idea. Silence settles for a few minutes before she speaks again. "So what exactly happened?"

"We were chasing a kid," Emma starts.

"Matt Cursory." Graham interjects.

"I had him. He was nice… a little troubled but nice."

"Well, Emma had a little accident. Long story short, here we are."

"Emma!" Henry screeches, running into the room, skidding to a stop barely a foot before the bed. He wants to wrap his arms around her and never let go, but he sees the IV and doesn't want to rip anything out.

"Hey, Kid." She smiles and ruffles his hair.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Henry. It's nothing major." It's only then that the two look at her ankle and gasp.

"That looks…" Mary Margaret can't find the right words. Lily comes back in.

"Dr. Mallory is just scrubbing in, so I'm going to go over a few things with you." She says, glancing down at a paper. "This should be a fairly simple procedure. However, there's always risk when going under anesthesia. We're going to put a ventilator in just to be safe. Recovery time is usually four to six weeks, but we'll know more once they get in. I think Dr. Whale told you that your Tibia chipped and punctured your muscle, which caused the internal bleeding. It's such a small chip that I don't think they're going to do anything with it. There might need to be a few surgical pins, but we honestly don't see anything too major. Can you just read this over?" She hands Emma the paper. Graham helps her into a sitting position. After a minute she nods.

"Pretty straightforward."

"Great. Any questions?"

"No." Lily produces a pen.

"Can you just sign the bottom line?" After Emma does so, she leaves. Henry sits next to her and wraps his arms around her, burying his face in her neck. She feels him start to shake.

"It's okay, Henry." Emma strokes his hair.

"What if Regina throws you out cause you have to take time off or… or." He hiccups, trying to suck in a breath.

"That's not gonna happen." She forces him to look at her. "Think about it. I've ran over her sign, cut down half her tree… among other things." She smiles. "I'm not going anywhere. She can't run me out of town because I broke my ankle. Besides, I can't run." He laughs.

"Okay." He hugs her again. Lily comes back in.

"Sorry, but you don't have a next of kin or medical proxy listed."

"Oh, um…" Emma fumbles.

"We can." Graham gestures to him and Mary Margaret. "If that's okay to you."

"Yeah." She's dumbfounded as to why they're being so nice. Sure her and Mary Margaret are friends, but… Graham's her boss.

"Absolutely." Mary Margaret takes the paper and signs it, handing it to Graham. He follows suit.

"Thank you. We'll bring you down in a couple minutes." She leaves. Mary Margaret knows something is up.

"Henry, let's wait in the waiting room, okay? It's gonna get a little crowded." She says, trying to pry the boy off of his mother. He looks between the two.

"I'll see you in a few hours, Kid." She squeezes his hand like Graham had done to her. He gives her one last hug before going into the hall.

"We'll be right here when you wake up." Mary Margaret says. She can't decide whether or not to give the blonde a hug, knowing she doesn't really do the touchy-feely thing. She decides against it and settles for giving a small wave before following Henry.

"I don't want to waste time talking about silly things." Graham says, but gets cut off.

"I'm not dying, Graham." She snaps. Her hands are shaking again. If he's completely honest with himself, he's terrified; he can't imagine what it must be like for her right now.

"I know you're not. I tend to talk a lot when I get nervous."

"Sorry." She says, looking down at her hands. "I shouldn't have snapped." She meets his gaze. "I tend to get angry when I'm nervous." They laugh.

"Very true." He says. A couple people they don't know walk in.

"We're ready to take you down." They turn the breaks off and begin wheeling her through the hall. Graham's holding her hand the whole way. When they get to the pre-op room, one of the wheeler people, a big, burly man, gives him a pointed look.

"Non hospital personnel, or people who are not patients, are not allowed past here." He says.

"I'm the sheriff." Graham flashes his badge. It doesn't have any effect.

"Then you don't work here, and you're not a patient. I'm going to have to ask you to leave unless you want to be escorted out by security." Graham glares at the man, but complies.

"I'll be right next to you when you wake up, Emma." He says, giving her shoulder a pat as he walks by.

"See you later." She smiles at him.

They've been sitting in the waiting room for what feels like an eternity. She's been in surgery since 8:00 at night, and it's now almost 11:00. Henry is sprawled out on him and Mary Margaret, sleeping. Graham glances at the clock every five minutes, praying they'll get some news. Mary Margaret strokes the boy's head.

"You love her." She says out of the blue.

"What?" Graham's a little surprised by the statement.

"You love Emma."

"It's complicated." He says.

"She cares about you, Graham. It may not be obvious but… she definitely cares. She has walls up to protect herself, but she feels safe with you."

"I noticed." He says with a little sarcasm. He doesn't mean it to be fresh, just funny. "She made me drive Mathew to the station and lock him up before she'd let me get her in the car. Although, we'd have to dump him off before we came here. God, I couldn't think straight, Mary Margaret. All I could think about was the fact that my… I don't even know what she is, but I love her, and she's in pain. She's infectious."

"Maybe it's true love." They chuckle quietly. Henry stirs but falls back into a slumber. They sit in comfortable silence until Dr. Mallory comes in. They make an attempt to move Henry so they can stand up, but he holds his hand up.

"Don't worry about it. The poor kid… Anyway, the surgery went fine. Ms. Swan should be awake within the hour. I think her recovery will be relatively short if she follows the instructions. She can't walk on her leg for two weeks, and then she'll start physical therapy. From there, it's really up to her therapist. It goes into more detail here," Dr. Mallory gestures to the paper he's holding, "but that's the gist of it. She's going to need someone to help her."

"She lives with me." Mary Margaret says.

"Are you there all day?"

"No." She sighs.

"I can pick her up when you leave for school. She can go to the station with me and I'll keep an eye on her." Graham says.

"That should be fine." Dr. Mallory nods. "Any questions?"

"No." They say in unison.

"Goodnight."

"Thank you."

"Hey, Henry." Mary Margaret shakes him gently.

"Hmm?" His eyes are half open.

"Emma's out of surgery. She'll be up in an hour, but it's pretty late and your mom might check on you only to find you're not home."

"But I wanna see Emma." He all but whines, knowing where this is going.

"You won't be able to see her when you're grounded." She says.

"We'll tell her you waited. She'll understand." Graham offers.

"Okay." Henry pouts, but agrees nonetheless.

"You should take the cruiser so it's not suspicious." He tosses her the keys. "His bike should fit in the back seat."

"Good idea. I'll be back." She drapes an arm around Henry's shoulder and guides him out. Graham finds a random person and asks for directions to the recovery room. There's a dozen beds in there, but only one is occupied. Emma's sleeping, and Graham takes her in. She looks like a princess while sleeping, he realizes. Her hair is spread out on the pillow, and she's stunning. The hospital gown she's wearing is the closest thing he thinks she'll ever go to wearing a dress unless tricking one of her bail skippers into going on a date. He feels like he's seen her somewhere before, but it's a distant memory. Her eyes are green like someone's he definitely knows, but can't put his finger on. He ignores the thought and takes a seat beside her, once again intertwining their hands. Half an hour later he feels her fingers tighten around his, and her eyes flutter open.

"Emma!" He smiles.

"How long was I out?" She mumbles.

"About 3 hours." He answers, gently moving a blonde lock from her face.

"How long am I going to be stuck in here?"

"Dr. Mallory didn't say. I don't think for too long, though."

"And my ankle?"

"You can't walk on it for two weeks then you'll start physical therapy. You're going to be sick me and Mary Margaret."

"Why?"

"You can't be alone, so when she goes to work I have to pick you up and bring you down to the station so I can babysit you." She makes a face. Mary Margaret comes running in.

"You're up!" She smiles.

"Yeah." Emma removes her hand from Graham's.

"I just realized that your room is upstairs back at the apartment so you might have to sleep on the couch."

"I'll hop up." Now they're back to hopping. Great. He laughs, and Mary Margaret looks at him questioningly.

"Am I missing something?"

"You had to have been there." He decides not to argue with her, figuring she's decided to hop because of the drugs. "What are you on?" Graham asks.

"I'm the one who's been sleeping for four hours, you tell me." She says.

"I'll go find somebody." Graham goes off to find Dr. Whale.

"How do you feel?" Mary Margaret asks.

"My ankle doesn't hurt anymore. Just really tired, I guess."

"That would be from the morphine." Dr. Whale comes in, Graham trailing behind. "I'm glad to see you're up. If this was abdominal surgery we'd have used an epidural, but they don't work so well on ankles. Tomorrow we'll probably try weaning you off, and then if all goes well hopefully discharge you."

"Sounds good."

"I assume they've already told you the rules?"

"We did. I'm just wondering if she's allowed to do stairs?" Graham asks.

"If somebody's home and she doesn't put weight on her ankle then I don't see why not. Let's get you up to your room."

"You have school tomorrow." She says to Mary Margaret. "Wait, where's Henry?"

"He wanted to stay but we made him leave before Regina noticed." She answers.

"Good. But really, you should go. You, too, Graham. I'm fine."

"You sure?" the brunette asks.

"Yeah."

"Okay." She sighs. "See you tomorrow, Emma. Feel better!"

"I told you I'm not leaving." Graham says.

"You have work."

"I'll bring my cell phone. It's just paperwork."

"_And_ interviewing Mathew Cursory. Graham, go. Bring the kid some food, ask him the questions, book him and tell the prosecutor. Tomorrow you can look for Mr. Gold's jewelry, then the case is closed. After that it's paperwork."

"Fine. Tomorrow I'll come as soon as I can and bring the incident reports for you to fill out if you're up to it." They arrive at her room. Dr. Whale leaves. "Bye, Em." He places a gentle kiss on her forehead before walking out.

Graham doesn't sleep. All he can think about is how fragile she looked, and the guilt envelops him. When he gets up at 4:00, the coffee he drinks is tasteless. Mathew Cursory is out on bail and staying with his defense attorney. He figures he'll get an early start finding Mr. Gold's things so he can get to the hospital before breakfast. He drives over and easily locates the jewelry, and gives it to the pawnbroker.

"You're up early." The man notes.  
"I hope I didn't wake you." Graham apologizes.

"No, no. I was taking care of a few affairs. I suppose I'm lucky Ms. Swan didn't come with you." He says, and Graham's blood boils. If only he knew.

"Again, I'm sorry about that. She was fine after she got her donut." He decides to play nice so he can get out of here fast.

"You're a good man, Sheriff. I know about Ms. Swan's little accident."

"How'd you...?"

"Mayor Mills isn't the only one with eyes in this town. I do hope she's alright."

"She should be going home tonight."

"Please give her my sympathies. And thank you for returning this." Gold holds up the box.

"Have a good day." Graham smiles and gets back in the cruiser. He forces himself to not speed on his way to the hospital. It's a little after 7:00 when he gets back and is stopped by one of the nurses.

"Visiting hours don't start for two hours." She says.

"We have some police stuff to do." Graham says.

"Fine." He's buzzed in. He walks down to her room and carefully opens the door, being as quiet as possible. He puts the red roses he got her on the counter and sits next to her bed. He knew she wouldn't be awake yet, but wanted to be here when she did. It's two hours later when she finally moves.

"Hey." He smiles.

"What the…" She jumps. "God, are you stalking me?"

"No." He says quickly. "I just… I thought you might get bored or…"

"It's fine." Emma notices the roses. "Those are pretty. Thank you."

"You're welcome. What do you want for breakfast?"

"I'm not completely helpless, Graham." She throws the covers off and sits up.

"Hey, Emma, can we wait until I get your nurse?" He jumps up, running over to her side of the bed.

"Fine."

"I'll be right back." He comes in with the nurse.

"Good morning, Emma. I'm Heather. Sheriff Graham tells me you want to try walking. You have to use these." She hands the crutches to her. They help her up, and while she wobbles a little bit, it's clear she knows perfectly well how to use them. When she sits back down, Heather hands her a disposable menu. "Just circle what you want. I'll be back in ten minutes." Emma studies it before marking it up.

"I brought you something." Graham holds up a white bag and she smiles.

"I swear I'm addicted to those." She takes a bite.

"I also brought the incident report. I figured we can fill them out in a little bit and get it over with."

"Graham, I'm gonna have two weeks of desk duty, I'll have time." Emma all but whines.

"At least two weeks, then it's up to your physical therapist." He smirks and she tries to glare, but that's hard to do while smiling. They hear footsteps coming down the hall and only one person makes that much of a racket. Emma groans.

"_Really_?"

"Miss Swan, how did you manage to do that?" Clearly Regina isn't a morning person, either.

"Catching the kid that broke into Mr. Gold's house." She replies, trying to think clearly through the fog of the morphine.

"Well what did you do?"

"He kicked me." Emma grits out. Is she really blaming her?

"I suppose the incident report will tell me more than you will; and Graham, I'm glad to see my citizens' tax dollars being spent by sitting in a hospital entertaining _her_."

"You're so lucky they won't let me walk right now."

"Is that a threat?" Regina arches a perfect eyebrow, keeping her cool.

"More of a promise. Get. Out. Now."

"Let's go, Graham." She lets the blonde have this one. She got what she wanted; a rise.

"No, Regina. I'm working on paperwork. I left my cell number on the answering machine at the station. If someone needs me, they can get a hold of me. Now, I believe she told you to leave." Graham says firmly. Regina looks stunned for a moment before turning on a heel and stalking off.

"That was… Wow. You didn't need to do that." She says.

"You don't deserve to be treated like that. You're such an amazing person and you've brought so much good to this town. We're lucky to have you." It's one of the nicest things anyone's ever said to her and she blushes.

"Maybe we should work on those incident reports." She suggests. They work on them for a few minutes before she speaks again. "Did you interview Mathew yet?"

"Yeah." He laughs. "He thought we forgot about him. So when I came back, as soon as I walked in, he was like, 'I did it! I took Mr. Gold's jewelry!' It was priceless. I found his stuff."

"That's good. Wait, who's staying with him if he's locked up?"

"He's out on bail."

"I miss those days." Emma says, writing something down.

"Finding people who skip bail? That seems a little repetitive." He laughs at a question. "Have you gotten here yet? _What happened after the injury was sustained_? This is my answer: left Emma on the side of the road to lock Mathew Cursory up and forgot about him. What do you think Regina will say to that?"

"She'll probably read between the lines too much and not get it." She answers, flipping the page.

"So what did you like so much about bail bonding?" Graham asks.

"It was entertaining. Once they realized who I was, the look on their face was priceless. Since we're playing twenty questions, why did you become a cop?" He thinks for a moment before answering.

"I don't really know. I guess I just like helping people."

"You're good." She says. "You don't even have to bring people into an interrogation room for them to confess."

"Thank you." He smiles.

"There. Done." She hands him the packet.

"Awesome. I brought some games if you want to play any." Graham says.

"What did you bring?" He rifles through the bag.

"Uno, Go Fish, Old Maid, a playing deck, Sorry, Trouble, Connect Four, Monopoly, and Life."

"Did you rob Mary Margaret's classroom?"

"Maybe." He answers. "I had the cards, but everything else is hers."

"Hmm…" She thinks, eyeing the bag. "How about Go Fish?"

"Sounds good." Ten rounds and an hour later, Dr. Whale comes in.

"I see you two are having fun." He smiles.

"When can I leave?"

"Well, that kind of depends on you. I was thinking we could stop the morphine now and switch you over to oral meds. If everything goes okay, we can send you home on them tonight. If not, that's perfectly fine and we'll just keep you here for an extra day or so." He sounds so nice they can't believe it's actually him.

"Switch me please."

"Alright." He stops the morphine pump. "I'm also going to turn the saline off to make sure you're hydrated. Can you keep food down?"

"I had a donut."

"That's great. Heather will be in with the meds in a minute. If anything changes, let her know." She turns to Graham once he leaves.

"I really want to get out of here."

"I know, Em. I know." He laughs. "Want to play Sorry now?"

"Anything that'll entertain me. In Boston, there's TV's in the rooms." She says.

"What color?"

"Red."

"What's Boston like? Graham asks. She looks at him through her lashes.

"You've never been?"

"I don't think I've ever left Storybrooke." He answers.

"It's about fifteen times bigger. Everyone acts like Regina." She shrugs. "Don't even get me started on New York."

"So you hate small towns?" He picks up a card and moves his pawn.

"All of them except Storybrooke. Who named this place, anyway?" She does the same.

"Regina's been mayor for as long as I can remember."

"Talk about anarchy…" Emma mumbles, moving her pawn with a little more force than necessary. The game takes a couple hours since neither of them know how to play. By the end they're laughing.

"I think we went around the board a hundred times." Graham gasps.

"I found the directions." She holds them up. "We definitely played wrong." They play it two more times, this time following the directions. Just as they're finishing up their last game Henry comes in with a smile on his face.

"I waited for you." He says breathlessly, launching himself at the blonde. "I mean, last night, but they made me go home."

"Whoa, Kid, catch your breath."

"Hey." Mary Margaret comes in, handing her a card. "The kids made it for you all by themselves."

"That's nice. Tell them thanks." Emma scans it, looking for one name in particular. It simply says _Henry/Kid_. The boy quite clearly dislikes his last name.

"And I'm really sorry cause I wanted to be here when you woke up and I would've come this morning but Regina made me go to school." He says quickly, picking right up where he left off.

"Henry, it's fine. I know you would've, but you don't have to. I should be getting out tonight."

"I'm _so_ glad!" Then he sees the pile of games. "Want to play Uno?"

"Sure." Graham shrugs, dealing the deck. They play for an hour until Dr. Whale comes again.

"So I hear things are going well." He says.

"Can I go home?" Emma asks.

"I take that as a yes. Your ankle isn't bothering you too much?"

"It's fine."

"Well…" He glances at the file. "I guess I can't say no. I'll have Heather fill out your discharge papers."

"I'll take Henry home. Regina will be back in half an hour." Graham says.

"And I'll bring _you_ home." Mary Margaret smiles. _Home_. It's a word Emma's never used to describe any place she's ever been, and hearing it makes her want to tell the woman that it's not home, just a place she's temporarily staying until she makes sure Henry is okay; but she can't. Instead she rolls her eyes and makes a sarcastic comment.

"Stop acting like my mom. I'm not a baby, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself." To prove her point she gets up and picks up the game. For some reason this leaves the brunette with a dull ache, but she ignores it.

"Let's go, Henry."

"Bye, Miss Blanchard." He gives waves and gives Emma a hug. "See you later."

"Bye."

"So I was thinking that tonight you should sleep on the couch." She pulls the chair closer.

"I was serious about hopping up. I like my bed."

"You were in surgery less than 24 hours ago. Let's just take this slow." Mary Margaret says, giving the blonde a stern look that she can't argue with. A few minutes later Emma's discharged and they're on their way home. She manages to get up the stairs, and the shorter woman can't help but laugh and shake her head at the spectacle before her. Because the pain pills practically knocked her out, Mary Margaret can hear Emma snore from her room; needless to say, she doesn't sleep very well that night. She's still sleeping in when the brunette leaves for work, so she leaves her key under the mat for Graham and sends him a text. He gets there at 7:30 and knocks before letting himself in. Smiling, he quietly walks up the stairs and follows the snoring. Her door is closed and he knocks again, getting no answer. He opens it and stands over her bed, shaking her.

"Emma, you've gotta get up."

"Wha-" She rolls over and shoots up when she sees him. "Jesus, what the hell!"

"Time to bring you down to the station." He chirps.

"I'll be down in a minute." She rakes a hand through her hair.

"Do you need help?"

"I'm fine, Graham." She gives him a playful shove outside. He doesn't take offense, knowing that it's not even 8:00 yet. He waits in the hall ready to rush in if he hears a thump. A little while later she comes out on the crutches, wearing sweatpants.

"Can you get down the stairs?"

"Yeah, hold these." She hands her crutches to him and hops over on her good leg, and starts down. He follows her in case she falls so he can grab her. He gives them back when they're in the kitchen. They do the same thing at the next flight, then they're outside. In the car he hands her another white bag.

"Thanks." She says flatly, and he hides a frown. Clearly whatever happened between the two of them in the past couple days is either meaningless or scaring her, and Graham's betting on the latter.

"How's your ankle?" He asks, thinking that's part of the reason she's cranky.

"It's fine." That's obviously going to be the word of the day.

"Emma… Please don't shut me out." He pleads.

"Can we not do this right now?" He can hear the desperation in her voice, and realizes that they'll get nowhere if she doesn't have an escape if it gets too much. He relents.

"I'll drop it for now, but we _will_ talk about it soon." He grips the steering wheel tighter, and she doesn't talk to him the rest of the time. That's how the next two weeks go for the most part. Some days she's more talkative than others, and some she doesn't seem to talk at all. After work, Emma has physical therapy every Thursday. Graham drops her off and Mary Margaret picks her up. The next morning, after her first session, he's surprised to see her already in the kitchen and dressed, wearing a big air cast.

"Hey." She smiles, and it's contagious. It's the first time he's seen it in two weeks and he's so relieved.

"What's that?" He points at it.

"It's an air cast. I can walk when I have it on cause it takes most of the pressure off my ankle." She puts a bowl in the sink.

"That's great, Emma." He moves closer. "I know I'm a little early, I hope I didn't intrude."

"No, not at all."

"Good. Can we talk?" Graham asks, and she feels as if she's about to puke. She really doesn't want to do this.

"Everyone's _capable_ of talking. I don't really want to."

"I waited. I waited two weeks, and I don't want to wait any longer. I didn't believe in love at first sight until I met you. I want to be more than friends." He holds his breath, waiting for a response. Emma opens her mouth and closes it a couple times, at a loss for words. She has to say something, and they come out before she can even think about what she's saying.

"Me too."

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	2. Chapter 2

**THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT ON THE LAST CHAPTER. THE NEXT ONES PROBABLY WON'T BE AS LONG AS THE FIRST BECAUSE WHEN I STARTED, I INTENDED IT TO BE A ONE SHOT BUT I LOVE THE IDEA SO I RAN WITH IT. I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU A HEADS UP. ALSO, AS OF RIGHT NOW, WHEN GRAHAM AND EMMA KISS, HE WON'T REMEMBER. I DON'T REALLY WANT TO GO IN THAT DIRECTION. THAT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE IF I DECIDE TO.**

_"I waited. I waited two weeks, and I don't want to wait any longer. I didn't believe in love at first sight until I met you. I want to be more than friends." He holds his breath, waiting for a response. Emma opens her mouth and closes it a couple times, at a loss for words. She has to say something, and they come out before she can even think about what she's saying._

_"Me too."_

Now it's Graham's turn to stare in shock. Of all the things she could say, he never expected that.

"Great." He smiles. "So on Saturday maybe we can do something?"

"If by something you mean drinks, I can't. My doctor won't let me drink until my ankle's fully healed.

"Oh, okay. Well, maybe we can do something else." He tries to hide the disappointment.

"Can we just be friends first?" She asks. "I'm sorry it's just… I've never really had a real relationship where I care about the person. I don't want to screw it up."

"No, that's fine." He's upset, but knows that this is a start, and right now, he'll take what he can get. "I mean, that's good. It's a good thing for right now." Graham doesn't want to mention the fact that he still has to end the thing with Regina. They go through their usual routine, and after he drops her off at home, he drives around for the next few hours until Henry's sure to be asleep and stops at Regina's. When they get up to the bedroom, he pauses.

"We need to talk."

"No we don't." She says, beginning to unbutton his shirt.

"Regina, no. We're done." He pushes her off him, and he tries to read her but fails.

"Get out." She commands, and he climbs out the window faster than he ever has. He winces as headlights fall on him, and sees Mary Margaret looking at him. She pulls over and motions for him to get over there. He does.

"You should stay away from Emma." The brunette warns, and Graham didn't realize she could be this intimidating.

"I broke up with Regina. It wasn't really a relationship, Mary Margaret. No strings were attached."

"Graham," she warns, "If you hurt her, I swear to God…"

"I promise I won't hurt her." He says.

"Don't make promises you can't keep." With that, she gets back in her car and heads home. He does the same.

Mary Margaret quietly opens the door and glances around the first floor of the quaint apartment, trying to see if the blonde is still up. She gives a small smile when she doesn't see her, and knows that she's finally getting some rest. She all but has a heart attack when Emma speaks.

"Hey."

"Jesus!" She jumps, placing a hand over her racing heart.

"Sorry." Emma turns the lamp on. Mary Margaret takes in the tub of Ben & Jerry's and gives her a pointed look. "I… cravings." The blonde explains, gesturing to the ice cream.

"I see you talked to Graham." The smaller woman says as nonchalantly as possible, placing her bag on the table.

"Yeah." Emma says after a moment. "I'm conflicted."

"About?"

"He wants to be more than friends."

"And you don't?" the brunette takes a seat next to her on the couch.

"I do it's just…" She shrugs. "I've never been in a real relationship where I truly care about the person. I don't want to get hurt." Emma looks down at picks at a scab on her hand. It's no secret that she has a fear of getting hurt, but to actually voice it, let alone to another human being is something she's never done. She hates feeling this vulnerable. Guilt begins to overwhelm Mary Margaret. Logically, she knows she should tell her roommate that the man technically cheated on Regina with her; but part of her knows that Graham broke up with the Mayor _for her_. The woman finally lets her wall down a little, and she'd hate to be the one to tell her that Graham wasn't fully committed to the last person he dated. Finally, the brunette settles on not telling her. He threw the idea out to his deputy, and broke things off with his ex when the timing was right. Obviously he would've gone right after work, but Henry would have known. She prays she made the right decision.

"Emma, all relationships will hurt you at one point or another. Whether it's just anger and frustration at me for not letting you drown your sorrows or because you and Graham had a fight, it will hurt." It's the best advice she can give.

"I figured that out." She says glumly, picking up the spoon again.

"How about you put the ice cream away and go to bed? It's late."

"I know." For some reason, Emma complies. "Hey, where were you? It's almost 11:00."

"Busy." Mary Margaret answers, getting up to charge her phone.

"Oh come on. I answered your questions, you can at least answer one of mine." Emma follows her, putting her beloved ice cream in the freezer.

"Fine." She sighs. "I was with David." She peaks a glance at the blonde and rolls her eyes at the smirk. "Shut up."

"I'm not saying anything." Emma puts her hands up in surrender and starts up the stairs.

"Really, Emma? 'Death By Chocolate'?" Still, the brunette opens the tub back up and grabs a spoon.

The next morning Emma opens the door and smiles at Graham, and he returns it.

"Yes." She says, and he gives her a quizzical look.

"Yes what?"

"Dinner tonight. I can't cook but I can bring pizza."

"Emma…" He pulls her back into the apartment. "I want to, believe me I do. We can't right now." He struggles for the right words, and takes her hand in his.

"You're breaking up with me before we even start dating?" She snatches it back and crosses her arms.

"No!" He looks alarmed. "God, no. Regina's mad."

"You told her?"

"Don't interrupt, just let me finish what I have to say." He takes a deep breath before continuing. "I had been with Regina for a while, and I broke things off. She's going to figure out that it was for you, and she's going to be furious. She was about ready to take my head off the other night. I can't imagine what she'll do to you, and you have a bad ankle at the moment." She stares at him in disbelief for a moment.

"She wouldn't physically harm me, Graham."

"You don't know what she's capable of." He says evenly, relieved she's not mad.

"I don't care." She shakes her head, trying to make sense of it all. "I-I have a physical therapy appointment today. Last week he said I'd probably be good to go, and I feel great. The incision's even fading."

"Don't even think about it, Emma." Graham says sternly, but with all the concern in the world.

"I'm fine, Graham. Honest."

"I'll compromise. Let me go to your appointment with you." He says.

"Yes, because that doesn't seem suspicious at all." She says sarcastically.

"We can say it's routine. You got hurt on the job."

"We can do this. I don't care about Regina. I don't care what she does to me. I don't need to be protected." To prove her point, she gets up to put her coffee mug in the sink. On her way back, she trips over a rug, miraculously landing on the couch.

"Yeah, you do, Ems." He takes her hand and guides her down the stairs to the car. She eats her donut on the way in, and the day goes by slowly. The phone rings and Graham answers, looking at the clock impatiently. He hangs up. "Ruby says Leroy has not come in yet, which means he won't be there tonight."

"Which means you can come to my PT appointment." She does her best to hide a grin, but doesn't.

"Well, it's time to go. We wouldn't want to be late." He shuts the computer down. On their way out Regina pulls up.

"Really?" Emma groans.

"Here we go again." He mumbles. "Madame Mayor, how's your day going?"

"You can drop the act, Sheriff. I was just stopping by to see if either of you are doing your job… which you aren't." If looks could kill, they'd both be dead by now.

"We're free to go at 5:00, and it's a couple minutes past. I think you should learn how to tell time." Emma pushes past her and clomps to the car, her air cast banging against the pavement. Regina keeps a stone cold expression on her face.

"I don't know what you see in her." Regina whispers in his ear. "But at least I can care about you. That woman has as much empathy and compassion as a block of ice. If she's who your heart belongs to, then so be it." With that, she gets in her car and drives off.

"What did she say to you?" Emma asks when he gets in.

"She knows about us." Is all he says and turns the ignition on.

"Did she threaten you?" She looks at him, taking his hand in hers. Graham looks in her eyes and sees someone completely different than who Regina sees.

"No. But she insulted you."

"That's nothing new." She says, giving a hearty laugh. "I can't believe she drove all the way over here just to insult me, but not even say it to my face."

"What I can't believe is that she called you a block of ice." He pulls out of the parking lot.

"_That_ was her insult?" Emma laughs again. "The nerve she has to call _me_ icy. She's the one who's stone cold. I mean, I am thoroughly convinced that she has no emotions except for hatred. I may not show mine very often, but I _do_ have them."

"You're an amazing person, Emma. I'm so lucky to have you in my life."

"Um… thanks." She looks surprised, and he's taken aback. It finally occurs to him that no one really has ever told her they're glad she didn't die on that road as a newborn, and it breaks his heart. They sit in an awkward silence for the rest of the way. "Thanks for the ride." She slams the door shut, and he sighs but follows.

"Emma, wait! Remember our deal? I have to make sure that the doctor says you're okay before I let you do anything insane."

"I'm not a teenager who just broke my dad's prized vase. I don't need to lie to you." She turns around, hands on her hips.

"I _am_ your superior, though, and this is work related. Therefore, I am deeming it necessary that I be present at this examination."

"Fine." She nods after a moment. "But only because I said you could this morning." They make their way to the waiting room and take a seat in a white plastic chair. Graham smiles. "What?"

"Nothing." He wipes it off.

"Don't tell me the Telly Tubbies are amusing you." Emma gestures toward the TV.

"No, it's not that. I was just thinking that since you got hurt, I've only gotten one call about Leroy, and he wasn't even half as drunk as usual. It seems Storybrooke has decided to behave for us."

"Emma!" a red-haired nurse calls from a counter. "Dr. Jenkins will be with you in a few minutes if you want to go into your usual room."

"Thanks." Graham follows the blonde as they make their way around numerous chairs and scattered toys. He sits in a chair while she hops onto the exam table.

"I just thought you should know something." He says slowly.

"Yeah?"

"After the town heard about what happened, Matt Cursory came by the station. He's really sorry about what happened, he never meant to hurt you. He just doesn't want to go to jail."

"I didn't hear anything about a trial. How's that going?"

"Regina dismissed the case." He says.

"We have him on four charges!" Emma all but yells.

"I know we do, but after we arrest him it's out of our control." Graham replies in a soothing voice.

"Good afternoon!" Dr. Jenkins comes in with a smile. "So if I remember correctly last week we were thinking the cast might come off?"

"Yes."

"Well, let's take a look." He begins unstrapping the cast and carefully removes it. For the first time Graham sees the ankle. It's no longer swollen and has a 1 inch long incision that is a pinkish color.

"That looks really good, Emma." He smiles.

"I agree." Dr. Jenkins says. He presses on a few places. "Does that hurt?"

"No. Really, it feels fine."

"I think we should get an x-ray just to be safe. If that looks okay, then I'd say you can do whatever you want." He claps his hands together, then hands her a form. "Just give this to the technician. Wait." He frowns. "How long has it been post-surgery?"

"A little over two weeks. Why?" Emma answers

"It's just that typically it takes almost three weeks to be healed enough that I'm comfortable letting patients do what they want. I guess we'll see what the x-ray shows."

"I'll go with you." Graham gets up and follows her once again around the hospital. Ten minutes later they're back in the room and Dr. Jenkins puts the film on the light box and smiles.

"You, my dear, have very strong bones that reproduce fast." He points to the dark line. "That's a hairline fracture, but to be expected. You have full medical clearance to return to normal physical activity. When you leave, just grab the forms from Katy at the front. Obviously if it starts hurting, stop, and if it keeps up come back. Oh, and just wear the cast till you get home. You can keep it, too."

"Okay. Thanks." Emma smiles. They walk out and Graham leans against the wall, patiently waiting while she fills out the paperwork. He finally talks when they get in the car.

"This is great."

"Yeah. This means that we can be in a relationship because her royal pain in the ass holds no advantage over either of us now." She says.

"Yeah it does." He grins, and then his cell phone goes off. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Mary Margaret. Sorry to bother you, but I tried calling Emma and it went straight to voicemail. Um, I think I saw a wolf in the cemetery. I was driving by and it's dark, but…" The brunette says on the other end of the line.

"She's with me. It must be dead. We'll go check it out. Goodnight." He hangs up. "There's a possible wolf in the cemetery."

"A wolf in Storybrooke?" She gives him a look, but buckles up anyway. "Well, at least this job is more interesting…"

"You have your gun?" Graham asks as he speeds down the road.

"Yes, now would you please slow down? It's a wolf, not a person having a seizure." She says.

"Sorry." He drops to the speed limit. "I just don't want somebody to shoot it before we get there. Although, if it comes at you, please shoot it."

"No problems there." Emma replies as she racks her weapon.

"But don't hit me."

"I know how to use a gun, Graham." He can tell she's getting irritated.

"I know you do, but technically after being on a medical leave you're supposed to take a psychological evaluation and another safety test in order to be reinstated." He says, dividing his attention between her and the road.

"If you're going to go that fast, pay attention to the road!"

"We're here." He says, and they jump out of the car. "You go right and I'll go left. Holler if you see anything."

"Give me a sec." She says, unstrapping the cast. "I can't be quiet in that thing. Let's go." After a few minutes they circle back, and Graham is more than a little relieved when they circle back to each other and sees that she's in one piece.

"Nothing?"

"Nope." She shakes her head.

"What are you doing here?" Regina asks, holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Are you stalking us?" Emma ignores her question.

"We're answering a call about a wolf." Graham answers.

"There are no wolfs in Storybrooke, Sheriff." Regina says coldly. She's obviously taking the break up harder than he thought she would. "Ms. Swan, why do you take everything I hold dear?"

"Regina, it's not her fault." Graham intervenes.

"None of this started until she got here."

"Did you ever consider that I'm not the problem her? Henry came and found me." She begins pacing around Regina. "Graham left you for me. Both were miserable. So I suggest you take a good hard look in the mirror,_ Madame Mayor_, and ask why that is." Regina stands there for a few seconds, her face unreadable. Then she punches the blonde in the face, sending her flying into Graham, knocking both of them down. Emma recoveries quickly, delivering a blow to Regina, and pins her against the mausoleum. She winds up to strike her again, but Graham pulls her off. They each take a few calming breaths. "You're not worth it." Emma says as she stomps back to the car. Graham glares at the brunette and follows his girlfriend. They get in and he starts the engine.

"Are you okay?" He asks.

"I'm fine." She grumbles, looking out the window.

"I still think we should get you back to the station to get cleaned up." He insists.

"If it means I get to spend more time with you." She looks at him and smiles. Graham pulls out onto the main road.

"Do you still think that she would never physically harm you?"

"It's not like it would have mattered. I had it under control."

"I was tempted to leave the two of you there and come back in an hour. Maybe she would have learned a lesson."

"You should have." She laughs.

"Yeah, but I'd hate to have to arrest you again. Besides, you can use that as leverage for getting custody of Henry."

"I don't want custody of Henry." Emma says.

"Then why are you still here?" He asks as he parks the car.

"I don't want to talk about this right now." She says, slamming the door when she gets out.

"Fine, we won't." Graham gives in. "Your ankle okay?"

"I told you I'm fine." She says impatiently.

"Sit." He pats the desk. She hops up. "It looks like just a scratch above your eye."

"You got knocked over, too. Are _you_ okay?"

"Yes, Emma."

"See, you don't like me badgering you, so stop badgering me." She says.

"I'm not the one who keeps getting hurt." He quips, dabbing some alcohol on the wound. She hisses and moves back, but a small smile still graces her lips. "All done." He walks over to his desk to put the first aid kit away. When he turns around, she's making her way towards him, her smile growing but cautious, and he isn't sure if he sees tears in her eyes or if it's the lighting. Carefully, she places a tender kiss to his lips. They break apart, each silently asking for permission to go further. The next one is more passionate. Suddenly, excruciating pain radiates from his chest outward. He gasps, not even able to let out a strangled cry. He grabs his chest and collapses.

"Graham!" Emma shrieks. "Graham, what happened!" He can't feel his body, he can't feel anything but the pain. He is aware of his Deputy's desperate voice, and he wishes he could tell her he loves her. The last thing Graham remembers is her sobs before fading into blackness.

**SORRY TO LEAVE YOU GUYS WITH SUCH A BIG CLIFFY. I'LL TRY TO UPDTE SOON.**


	3. Chapter 3

**SORRY IT'S TAKEN ME SO LONG TO UPDATE. I KEEP GETTING THESE PLOT BUNNIES AND THEY WON'T LEAVE ME ALONE. THE UNFORTUNATE THING IS THEY AREN'T GREMMA…**

**DON'T OWN IT.**

"Do something!" Emma all but screams at Dr. Whale, who's performing CPR on Graham in the emergency room. Normally he'd make some retort about how nice it is to see her again, but one look at the normally cool headed deputy's panic-stricken face shuts him up.

"What happened?" He asks instead. The blonde takes a few deep breaths to calm down before replying.

"We were talking and he grabbed his chest like he was in pain, then he just collapsed." She says.

"It's a heart attack, page Dr. Mallory and get him scrubbed in STAT!" He barks. Before Emma can protest, they wheel him down to the OR's. She stands there for a couple minutes, staring after him. She blinks back tears as she thinks about how good his lips felt on hers. She touches them, trying to save the memory. Then she notices her hands are shaking, and realizes that she's in no condition to be his medical proxy without someone there who can actually make unbiased decisions. She pulls out her phone and has a hell of a time dialing Mary Margaret's number.

"Hello?" The woman on the other ends sounds tired.

"Hi." Emma says. The brunette hears her voice shaking an sits right up.

"Emma, what's wrong?"

"Graham had a heart attack. He's going in for surgery right now. I-" She doesn't even know how to ask for support; she's never had to, nor has she ever had anyone that _would_ help.

"I'll be right down." Mary Margaret hangs up. Emma puts her phone back in her pocket and heads down to the surgical waiting area where she knows there will be papers to sign. She makes a pit stop in the bathroom in hopes of making herself even a little presentable. Her hair's disheveled, which bothers her to know end; it's the one thing she's ever really cared about in her appearance. She takes it out of the pony tail and redoes it, deciding that will have to do. Her make-up is all smudged and she wipes the smudges away, then splashing cold water on her face. She's in the waiting room less than a minute before a nurse comes in, explaining the risks and steps of the procedure. She signs them, the actions almost robotic.

"What's the chance he'll make it?" She asks.

"I'd be prepared for the worst." The nurse answers, offering Emma sad, apologetic smile before disappearing through a door labeled _Authorized Personnel Only_. She sits in the chair, subconsciously touching her lips again. She thinks about how tender and loving he was when he kissed her, something she'd never experienced before. He's the first man she's ever allowed herself to love. She doesn't know how long she sits there, just gazing into space before a hand gently touches her shoulder. She nearly jumps out of her skin.

"What the-"

"Hey." Mary Margaret looks at her with kind eyes before sitting next to her. Normally, she'd be bursting her personal bubble but at this point, she doesn't even care. "Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Emma decides that she's done being vulnerable for a while. She hates it. "Graham's the one who… who… he could die." Her act fails when her voice brakes, but she remains composed. The brunette resists the urge to pull her into a hug.

"He's a strong man, Emma. You just have to have faith that he won't leave you." Her eyes are glistening with tears. The sheer thought of losing him hits her harder than she thinks it should. For some reason, she feels as though she owes her life to him. She dismisses the thought, thinking that it's because he's a cop.

"Yeah, well, if you're dealt crappy cards in poker you can play them the best way possible but you still won't win." The blonde says glumly.

"Not always. If everyone else has equally horrible cards and they don't play them right, you could still win."

"The only ones who have good cards are Mayor Evil and Mr. Gold."

"Are you insinuating that I'm unhappy?" Her statement strikes a chord.

"You fell in love with a married man who just dumped you for his wife." Emma realizes the nastiness in her words, and looks down. "Sorry. That was insensitive."

"It's okay. I know you didn't mean it." Mary Margaret says, her voice sincere. Emma still can't believe how kind and forgiving the woman is.

"It's not okay, though. I do this to _everybody_, even Henry. If I had just let myself accept the fact that Graham isn't going to hurt me weeks ago, we could've started our relationship sooner. We could've had more." She doesn't bother fighting the tears, and even allows her roommate to embrace her.

"You can't blame yourself. Caring about people is very new to you. Graham doesn't blame you at all." This brought on a fresh bout of tears. "Is there anything I can say to make you feel better?" Emma shakes her head, and Mary Margaret's heart aches for her. She can't help thinking, as inappropriate as it right now, that the woman looks like a little kid whose pet just died. But Graham isn't a pet, he's a man that Emma cares about, and probably even loves, though the blonde wouldn't admit it. Then she notices her roommate is shaking, and places a hand over hers.

"I'm sorry about these late night calls." Emma says apologetically. The brunette can't understand just what happened to her to make her feel as though she was such a burden. She isn't a violent person by any stretch of imagination, but if she ever finds who did this, she will make them pay.

"Emma, you _never_ have to apologize for needing –or wanting- my support." She says, trying to pick the best word choice. When she had first met her, Emma was very adamant about the fact that she didn't need help, and that she was better off on her own. The last thing Mary Margaret wants is to make her retreat. The blonde's face softens even more, but she smiles.

"Thank you." She doesn't need to explain that that's the first time anyone's ever told her that. Mary Margaret just knows. They have a relatively peaceful few hours until Regina breezes in.

"Mayor Mills." The brunette smiles, but the Mayor doesn't return it.

"What did you do?" She doesn't scream at Emma, but it's quite clear that she's very angry.

"Regina, come on. We are not doing this in the hospital, especially while Graham's fighting for his life." Emma says calmly, deciding that she's on a roll right now at being the bigger person. Only then does Mary Margaret notice Emma's eyebrow and Regina's mouth. Seeing as the only one in the town brave enough, or stupid enough, was Emma, she hid a smirk.

"You were the last one with him, correct?" Regina seethes.

"Yes. Wait a second." She stands up. "Are you insinuating that I had something to do with this?"

"Miss Swan, a healthy man does not just keel over." The brunette says as if she's talking to a child, but with great annoyance. Emma grits her teeth and takes a deep breath before speaking again.

"Actually, they do. He could've had a degenerative heart condition, or a number of other things that were ticking time bombs. He could've thrown a clot."

"And how do you know so much about medicine? I thought being a doctor required being smart?" Regina spits. The blonde bites back a retort, knowing that Graham would want her to be nice.

"Where's Henry?"

"At home." Though her face doesn't show it, Regina's getting increasingly furious that Emma won't rise to the bait.

"Alone at this hour? What were you thinking?"

"He's old enough for me to leave him for an hour." Now she's judging her parenting skills?

"Regina, he's ten! Have you _not_ seen how he sneaks away from you all the time? Does he even know you're gone? What if he wakes up and panics?" Finally, Emma snaps. "If you don't go home to make sure he's okay, then I'm going to have to." The woman glare at each other for an agonizingly long time before Regina relents.

"He's _my_ son, Miss Swan. Your concern is not needed." With that, she stomps away, pushing past every nurse in sight.

"I'm proud of you." Mary Margaret says after Regina's out of sight. "You didn't get mad until Henry got involved."

"I'd really like to punch her again." Emma replies, chest heaving at the effort of containing her anger. "I mean, who _does_ that to a kid?"

"Hi." Dr. Mallory smiles, his hands clasped together. Mary Margaret takes in his appearance, but the one thing her eyes are drawn back to is the blood coating his scrubs.

"How is he?" The blonde asks. He hesitates a few seconds, and she slips her hand into Mary Margaret's.

"He's going to be okay. He had a heart attack from unknown causes, but we were able to restart his heart. He'll be in the recovery room until he wakes up. You know the drill, though." He squeezes Emma's shoulder before heading off to the lounge. She turns around and hugs Mary Margaret, both laughing. The brunette's heart swells at the gesture. Emma pulls back, looking sheepish.

"Sorry, I just… I'm happy."

"Stop apologizing." She pulls her back into a hug.

"Sorry." It's a reflex, and Mary Margaret lightly punches her shoulder, earning another laugh. "Come on, I need to go see his chest moving." Mary Margaret directs her on how to get there, and both are surprised to see the Sheriff is in the same bed that Emma was in.

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No." The word comes out before she can think about what she's saying. "I mean, you don't have to. If you want to you can."

"Tomorrow's Friday. It's not a big deal if I'm not as chipper as usual. The kids don't listen anyway. Well, except for Henry."

"Than- um…" Emma is about to thank her, but remembers their previous conversation. "You're a great person." Mary Margaret chuckles at her roommate's obvious discomfort. She knows it's wrong, but that woman can be so funny.

"I will always be here for you, as long as you let me."

"Okay, you know what?" Emma laughs. "No more deep conversations. I hate them."

"Alright." The brunette smiles back. Graham stirs.

"Graham?" Emma still can't believe he's real, alive and breathing.

"Hey, Princess." He smiles.

"_Princess_?" Mary Margaret raises an eyebrow and smirks.

"I told you not to call me that." She grumbles. "It's the morphine."

"Nope, I am _totally_ awake and alert." Graham giggles

"Oh _God_. Kill me now." She groans, and Mary Margaret laughs. "Please don't tell me I was this bad."

"No, you weren't."

"You were just very finicky when we brought you home." He says. _Home_. Why do they keep telling her they brought her home? Granted, this place is the only one she's ever felt relatively welcomed in, except for Regina, but that's a whole other story.

"Who even uses _finicky_ anymore?"

"Don't be mean, I'm sick." He puts.

"Sorry." Emma takes his hand in hers. "How do you feel?"

"Like I got run over by a truck, and happy. So happy."

"Me to. The happy part." She agrees.

"You feel like you got run over by a truck because of the anesthesia." Dr. Whale says, pulling back the curtain to reveal the trio. Emma lets go of his hand. "Sheriff, I'm so glad you're alive. You gave us quite a scare."

"When can I get back to work?" He asks.

"Well, you have a 5 inch incision, as well as an undiagnosed heart condition."

"But it was definitely a heart attack." Emma interjects.

"Yes. We're running some tests, but it's looking like it was from a great amount of stress. There were no signs of disease or blocked arteries. The only thing I can compare it to is being squeezed, constricted so much that it couldn't beat." The amount of guilt that floods through her is enough to take her breath away. Is it her fault? Did she cause him so much stress that she almost killed him? She's jerked out of her thoughts by Graham's voice.

"So in a couple weeks?"

"I suppose you're more than welcome to sit at your desk, but desk duty only until we figure out what exactly caused the heart attack."

"Okay." Graham frowns.

"What about his discharge?" The blonde asks.

"I'd like to monitor him for 5 days before I feel comfortable sending him home. It would also be a good idea for him to be living with somebody in case he has another attack. Can that be arranged?" Dr. Whale says.

"Emma, if you want, you can stay with me until I'm cleared. No offense, but the apartment's too small for three of us." Graham turns his head to look at her.

"Sure." She agrees.

"Great." Dr. Whale smiles. "Any other questions?"

"No." The three say in unison.

"Have a good night." He shakes their hands and leaves. They sit in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Mary Margaret sighs and gets up.

"I should leave, if that's okay. I have recess duty tomorrow."

"Absolutely." Emma says.

"Okay. See you tomorrow." The brunette leaves. A nurse comes in to take Graham up to his room. Emma trails behind them. When they get to his room, she almost laughs. It's the same one she was in. She sits in a chair next to him.

"You should go, too, and get some sleep. You're the acting Sheriff, at least until I get back." He smiles, holding her hand.

"No, Graham, I'm not." She says forcefully. "I was about to have a heart attack myself. I watched you _die_." Tears glisten in her eyes and her voice shakes, but she continues. "Do you know what that's like, to watch someone you love die? Cause dammit, Graham, I love you.

**ONE LAST THING: WAS EVERYONE IN-CHARACTER? WRITING A VULNERABLE GRAHAM WAS HARD, AND WRITING AN EMOTIONAL EMMA WAS EVEN HARDER. ANY FEEDBACK IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!**


	4. Chapter 4

**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS, GUYS. THEY MAKE MY WORLD GO 'ROUND!**

**DON'T OWN IT.**

For a moment, Graham's shocked. He never thought she'd be the first one to declare her love. Then he comes to his senses.

"I love you, too." He says. Despite her smile, a tear makes its way down her cheek. He reaches up with the arm that doesn't have an IV attached to it and wipes it away. "Don't cry."

"I'm not." She blinks the rest back. "Just, don't have another heart attack, okay? And I'm sorry, cause I think I caused that one." He almost laughs at her delivery of the apology and the wording.

"No, you didn't, Em." He wishes he could hug her, but every time he moves his chest hurts.

"But Dr. Whale said it was from stress. You've been so worried about me the past few weeks, and… how is that _not_ my fault?"

"Was I worried about you? Yes. I knew you'd be okay, though. You're a fighter, and a broken ankle, or Regina, weren't going to stop you." He takes her hand and kisses it. "I don't blame you. I guess I can blame my parents for bad genes." She gives him a look, as if she doesn't quite believe him. Graham can understand why. In all of the foster homes she had been in, the rest of the household had probably blamed her for everything that went wrong, and he wishes he could take that pain away. Then he has an idea. "Use your superpower. See if I'm lying."

"You're starting to sound like Henry. That's exactly how he worded it. No. I don't think you are, but when emotions get in the way everything gets cloudy and…" She shrugs. "My judgment gets compromised."

"Not your first instinct, though. I'm not lying to you, Emma. Even if I _did_ think you caused my heart attack, how could I be mad? You didn't intentionally do it." He says, and she visibly relaxes, knowing that he isn't mad even if he does blame her.

"I believe you." She whispers. The last time she said that, she got knocked up with Henry. A repeat performance obviously isn't going to be happening in the near future. Graham feels his eyelids growing heavy and struggles to keep them open. "Sleep." She commands.

"Okay." He sighs contently before falling into a peaceful slumber. Emma doesn't know how long she sits there, just watching his chest rise and fall before sleep overtakes her, too. When she wakes up, the first thing she notices is an impossibly bright light in her eyes that she realizes is the sun. Then she feels Graham's eyes on her.

"How long have you been up?" She mumbles, rubbing her aching neck. Hospital chairs were definitely not made for sleeping.

"Since Dr. Mallory came in an hour ago." He says nonchalantly.

"What did he say?" There's a sense of urgency to her voice.

"That I seem fine. They still don't know what caused it, but it looks like it was a one time thing. There only keeping me until the incision's healed enough."

"That's awesome." She beams. "Do you need anything? I think Mary Margaret will let me borrow some games again –just not her whole stash."

"That would be great. You'll also need to go in my desk and grab the forms that say _Acting Sheriff_. We need to fill those out." He says.

"I hate paperwork." She groans. "Well, I should go. I'll change the answering machine so it'll go to my phone, get the annoying p-word, and the games. I'll be back soon."

"Bye!" He calls. It seems like an eternity to him, when in reality she was only gone 20 minutes. She comes back in, panting.

"The freaking elevators are down! Isn't Regina in charge of that?" She thrusts a white bag at him and he smiles.

"I'm sure she'll get right on it."

"Or maybe it's a good thing." She opens hers and takes a huge bite of her donut. "She'd have to walk up 4 flights of stairs in those obnoxious shoes. Oh, and I hope you like plain. I wasn't sure."

"It's my favorite." Graham smiles. "What games did you bring?" He gestures to the bag.

"Uno and Sorry, our favorites. And the paperwork." She throws the offending material on the table, along with 2 pens. They fill it out in record time before delving into Sorry. The next few days are roughly the same. Emma only goes home to shower and change, and sleeps at the hospital. He has never received so much attention before, not even from Regina, and it feels great. He didn't think things could get any better until Dr. Whale came in.

"Well, it's been 3 days since the surgery." He says. "If we can get you off the morphine today, I'd say tomorrow you can go home as long as Ms. Swan stays with you, or anybody."

"I will be." Emma says.

"Okay. So, Sheriff, think we can start weaning you off?"

"Yes." Graham said, smiling. His girlfriend was going to be living with him for the next few weeks, and that made him happier than he's ever been.

"Just as a heads up, I know we had originally talked about at least 2 weeks of babysitting, but I'm thinking 1 will be sufficient." Whale says, and the brunette's face falls. "Tell your nurse if the pain gets too bad." With that, he leaves, not wanting to have the only law enforcement officers in the town angry with him.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Emma asks.

"Sure." He replies, picking up the clicker and flipping through the channels. "Well, the only thing I can find is 'The Notebook'. It just started."

"_Really_?"

"It's that or more Uno." He says.

"We've already worn some of the color away on the cards so… I guess it's better than nothing." Emma sighs. Halfway through she finds room on the bed for herself, and curls into Graham, who drapes an arm around her shoulder. They each hope the other is thinking the same thing: that they want to grow old together and have that kind of bond. At the end he thinks he hears her sniff but is in no position to make a quip because he has tears pouring out of his eyes. Luckily they're saved by the familiar, fast paced steps of their favorite kid.

"Emma! Graham!" Henry comes bounding into the room followed by Mary Margaret, who's a more than a few steps behind.

"Hey, Kid." She smiles. Henry gives them a look, and only then do they realize they've been caught.

"I- wow." Mary Margaret says. "Sorry, we didn't mean to intrude. Do you want us to go?" As a peace offering, she holds a bouquet of lilies out to Graham.

"No." Emma says quickly, taking the flowers from her so Graham doesn't have to move.

"Thank you." He smiles. "Actually, we're really glad you're here. I can only take so many games of Uno."

"How are you feeling?" Henry asks, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Much better."

"You guys have impeccable timing." Mary Margaret muses, looking between Graham and Emma. "The day one of you gets cleared to go back to work the other gets hurt." The sheriff and deputy smile, but it's half-hearted and the brunette senses it. "Um, so anyway, the kids made you a card."

"Tell them I said thanks." Graham says as he takes it from her. "Henry, nice drawing." He comments and shows it to the blonde. It's of her and Graham laughing at something. It takes up half the card, but the other children didn't seem to care as they crammed their signatures on top of each other's.

"Well, he certainly didn't get his artistic ability from me." Emma says. "You really drew that?"

"Yup." Henry answers, cocking his head to the side and popping his 'p'.

"Does Regina know you can draw this well?" At this point, she'd be willing to enroll the boy in an art class in France if it meant she'd be able to get him away from the mayor.

"She knows _everything_." Henry frowns.

"Hey, at least she cares." Emma shoots him a look. _It's better than leaving you on the side of a highway to die_, she thinks.

"When do you think you'll be getting out?" Mary Margaret is quick to change the subject.

"Tomorrow." Graham answers with confidence.

"You sure you're ready?" the blonde gives him an incredulous look.

"Yes." He says, exasperated. "God, is this what I was like to you?"

"You were worse." She remarks.

"Kill me now." He groans, then adds, "Not literally, not literally." Upon realizing that he shouldn't say things like that around a ten-year-old.

"On the subject, once we leave the hospital tomorrow I'm gonna swing by to grab some of my stuff." Emma says, looking at the teacher.

"Do you want me to get your box ready for you?" She asks with a smile, referring to the one her roommate had sent over from Boston.

"I'm not moving out for good." Emma replies with an eye roll to hide just how deeply that comment affected her. "No, I'll get it, but thanks."

"If you go home tonight you can have it all set so we can make a direct flight –or drive- to my house." Graham suggests, and sees the brief panic flit across her face. This would be the first night she hasn't been with him sense the heart attack, and he knows she has nightmares about it; he hears her flinch when the nurse checks his vitals, waking him up.

"The doors _do_ miss getting slammed." Mary Margaret smiles hopefully. The truth is, she misses the blonde's presence more than she cares to admit. It's like a big, gaping hole and it truly does keep her up at night. Emma looks hesitantly at Graham before relenting.

"Fine."

"Great! I guess I'll drop Henry off and then go home and make dinner." The brunette's face lights up.

"But-" the boy's protest fall flat.

"If your mom knows you're here she'll kill all of us." Emma says. Henry wants to explain, yet again, that she is not his mother, but decides against it.

"Bye." He gives them a wave before being ushered out by Mary Margaret.

"Wanna play Uno again?" She asks, holding up the cards in question. Graham shakes his head.

"No. It's getting pretty late. You should get ready for tomorrow." He really doesn't want her to go, but he also knows that if she stays too long she'll end up spending the night again. His answer sends a familiar feeling of doubt through her, which in turn sparks the hurt and then anger. She's about to ask him why they're even dating if he doesn't want to be with her but takes a moment to think it through. He looks like he doesn't mean any harm, and she takes things for face value when it comes to that man. He feels awful about it because he saw her face as she comprehended what he was saying before finally schooling it into impassiveness.

"Okay. Yeah, I'll do that. I'll come back in the morning and… yeah." Emma doesn't even touch his hand to say goodbye, and he wonders if he went too far. _She_ is always the one pushing people away, and here she is trying to get close to him and he tells her to go. He curses himself and spends all night preparing his apology.

* * *

When the front door bangs shut, Mary Margaret is expecting a sly smile when Emma rounds the corner to the living room in acknowledgement to the brunette's comment about the door slamming. Instead, she sees a scowl and eyes that are murderous.

"What happened?" Automatically, she pulls out the tub of Ben and Jerry's and starts the water for hot cocoa.

"He told me to leave." The blonde says flatly, taking a seat at the counter and ripping the cover off the ice cream.

"Did he say why?" She asks in a voice that lets her roommate know she is there if she wants to talk, but is in no way obligated.

"That it was getting late and tomorrow's a big day." When a particularly large chocolate chip refuses to dislodge itself from the rest of the ice cream, Emma begins stabbing it.

"I'm sure he didn't mean anything, Emma. Graham's probably just tired." She doesn't respond to that. The tea kettle's whistle breaks the silence and Mary Margaret pours the water into two mugs, putting an extra packet of cocoa powder in Emma's. She sprinkles generous amounts of cinnamon on as well. The blonde takes it gratefully.

"I just… I don't know what I'm doing." Her voice breaks and the onslaught of tears she'd been fighting ever since leaving Graham's room broke through the dam. Mary Margaret sighs, waiting patiently for her to continue. For all her exterior toughness, it isn't that hard for the brunette to figure out just how terrified and hurt Emma truly is, and she only wishes she could take it all away. "I've never loved somebody before, not romantically." She says after composing herself. "I love Henry… I've never stopped, but I've been able to push that feeling aside until he came back, glaring his cute face right at me, and I couldn't ignore it anymore. With Graham it's different. If I let him in, it's because I want him in my life. If I get hurt because of it, I'll only have myself to blame. I need to know he's committed to me, Mary Margaret, that he's in it for the long haul." The smaller woman thinks that now would be a good time to come clean about the sheriff's unfaithfulness to Regina.

"Emma, I have to tell you something. Please don't be mad." She says, barely above a whisper. "Graham was with Regina when he asked you out. Take what you will from that." Mary Margaret gets up, prepared to make a beeline for her room should the blonde decide to start throwing things.

"_You knew_!?" Emma stands abruptly, her eyes glaring daggers at her roommate. "How could you not tell me!?" She's screaming and probably waking the neighbors but she's the deputy and her boyfriend's the sheriff and they can all go to hell.

"Emma, please." She whispers, desperate for her to understand.

"Did you know when I voiced my fears about getting hurt the other night?"

"I wasn't trying to hide anything, and I didn't lie."

"Did. You. Know?" She grits out. She's crying again but Mary Margaret is still scared. She's never seen her like this, not even to Regina.

"Yes." The brunette looks down, tears falling from her own eyes. Without another word, Emma puts most of her clothes and a few other things, including her baby blanket, into a box and storms out of the apartment.

**REVIEWS MAKE MY DAY! I KNOW THIS CHAPTER HAD A LOT OF EMMA/MARY MARGARET, BUT I LOVE THEIR DYNAMIC AND THINK SHE'S INTEGERAL TO EMMA FIGURING OUT WHAT TO DO. MORE GREMMA-NESS TO COME!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I STARTED WRITING THIS ONE RIGHT AFTER I POSTED THE LAST ONE IN HOPES OF HAVING IT UP SOONER. THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT.**

**DON'T OWN IT.**

Emma doesn't know how long she drives around before finding herself at the one place she's been avoiding –the hospital. Graham had told her to go home and she wanted to respect that; however, she thought he'd understand since she just had a huge fight with her roommate. As she backed into a parking spot, she looked at her reflection in the rearview mirror. She mentally cursed. She looked like crap, and while she knows her boyfriend isn't superficial, it still makes her self-conscious. She wonders what she's even doing. She doesn't feel like herself and part of her hates herself for it. There's a reason she doesn't get attached to people and hides from emotions. Whenever those things interfere, everything gets cloudy and she does stupid things that end with her in pain. If this was two months ago, she'd have told Graham to go screw and she was doing whatever she wanted. Granted, she probably wouldn't even be in this situation because she wouldn't have fallen for his sexy accent and incriminatingly tousled hair. She looks in the mirror again and sees the red-rimmed, puffy eyes that reveal too much and thinks about how pathetic she's being. Maybe having Henry back in her life has changed her, made her unable to cope. Or maybe it's made her a normal person. She doesn't know, and quite frankly, she's too tired to analyze herself. She takes a deep breath and decides that, for tonight, Emma Swan will just have to put up with being vulnerable.

* * *

Graham's not that surprised when the door opens. He's used to the nurses coming in every few hours to take his vitals. He _is_ surprised, however, when he's met with a familiar face with blonde hair. It's dark, but he recognizes the unruly curls instantly.

"I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but why are you here? Did the apartment light on fire?" He honestly doesn't mean to come across as rude and insensitive, but he really can't fathom why she's here a little past midnight.

"You really don't want me around, do you?" Her voice is hoarse and now he realizes she's most likely been crying.

"Oh my God, Emma, you think that I… No. You haven't been sleeping good here and I thought it would be best for you to get a good night's sleep." He explains. "I'm _so_ sorry if you thought that I didn't want you here." His apology seems legit and she sits down.

"Good."

"That doesn't explain why you're here, though. I'm glad you value me so much, but couldn't it wait until the morning?" Now he's concerned.

"I had a fight with Mary Margaret and I didn't know where else to go. That's why I came back and…" Emma's voice starts shaking again and she runs a hand through her hair.

"Come here." Graham pats the space next to him and she climbs on, boots and all. "Do you wanna talk about it?" He loves how perfectly she fits next to him.

"I trusted her." She says after a moment, willing the tears that had formed not to fall. "I told her I had my doubts about being in a relationship with you because I've never done it before and I was scared, and she encouraged me. Tonight she told me that while she said those things, she knew perfectly well that you had cheated on Regina. You don't need to defend yourself, that isn't what this is about."

"You're upset that she didn't warn you. You trusted her to have your back."

"Exactly!"

"Emma, we had a conversation right after I broke up with Regina." Graham figures that now might be as good a time as any to lay all the cards on the table. "She knew because I _promised_ her I wouldn't hurt you. She made me promise." He lets that thought sink in for a moment before continuing. "She didn't tell you because she has the same faith in me that you do, and she didn't want to make things any more confusing than they needed to be."

"So she thought I couldn't handle it?" This seemed to do nothing to improve her mood, and he's about to make some quip about her current state upon finding out, but decides against it.

"We're only trying to help." He says.

"How about this." She gets up. "The next time the two of you decide to stage an _intervention_, at least do it to my face. I don't need to be protected." She's about to storm out when his voice stops her.

"You don't have anywhere else to run, Emma. Go home and make things right with Mary Margaret and get some sleep. If you'd rather you can stay here, but you _will_ have to go back eventually." She listens to this and weighs her options.

"I have all the stuff I'll need in the car, so I might as well stay." She walks back over and hops into the bed.

"Besides." Graham says as she nestles herself closer to him. "The last time we tried a direct approach you let me past your walls which subsequently resulted in Regina's face getting rearranged."

"That's not how it happened."

"You know it is, Princess." The last thing she remembers is a tender kiss to her head before falling asleep. It's the first time since his 'accident', as she's come to call it, that nightmares don't plague her sleep.

In the morning, Dr. Whale tells them Graham can go home. Now he's sitting in a wheelchair on the sidewalk waiting for Emma to pull up the car. When she does, he looks at it incredulously.

"I thought you might've, I don't know, taken the cruiser. It's a little more reliable." He says with a twinkle in his eye.

"Trust me, it's fine. It survived Regina's town sign hitting it." She remarks, trying to keep a straight face and failing. Graham resists the urge to tell her it was the other way around. To prove her point, she ushers him into the passenger seat.

"Emma, I can walk perfectly fine." He protests.

"I don't need you tripping." She replies. He sees the box in the back seat and sighs.

"That's all you're bringing?" Graham asks.

"I assume you have a washing machine." She says, slamming her door shut after she gets in. "And I could only carry one box down at a time and I didn't want to go back up for round two."

"I'm staging an intervention." He announces. "After school gets out you're going to talk to Mary Margaret and apologize."

"When I said don't sneak around behind my back, I didn't mean to tell me what to do." She says, exasperated and annoyed.

"You know I'm right." She wants to deny it but one look into his almond eyes melts her and she relents.

"Why do you have to be so adorable?" Emma grumbles, and he smirks in victory.

"Is it the accent, hair, or striking features?" He asks.

"Everything." She admits.

"I knew it!" Graham fist pumps for a few seconds before coming down.

"You're too modest." She says sarcastically then pulls onto the main road. "You'll have to give me directions. Can you handle that, Bigshot?"

"Yes, Princess." He makes a face.

"I told you not to call me that." She says yet again.

"You did, but I don't like being called Bigshot. It sounds like something for a hunter, and I volunteer at an animal shelter." He says.

"Fine, I'll stop." She hopes he gets what she's trying to say, that she actually likes being called princess. Nobody has except for him, and she likes how special she feels.

"You're going to take a right onto Woodland Road." He points in the general direction.

"Okay." She makes the turn.

"I'm the brown one." Emma pulls into the driveway."

"About tonight." She says, facing him. "I'll see her."

"Great." He smiles.

The rest of the day is pretty uneventful. Graham falls asleep on the couch while watching TV which leaves Emma twiddling her thumbs. It's well past 4:00 and Mary Margaret should be home. She decides to get this over with. Before leaving, she places a sticky note on the man's forehead that reads:

_I went to see MM. You're welcome. I'll bring something back from Granny's. Call my cell if you need __anything_.

In the car, she goes as slow as possible. The nausea kicks in when she reaches their parking lot. She uses her key to unlock the door and finds her roommate curled up on the couch with her ice cream. She looks up and smiles cautiously.

"Emma!"

"Don't talk." She's still mad that the brunette didn't tell her the whole story, but she didn't lie, and she didn't mean any harm. "You can after, I just need to get this all out. I'm sorry for exploding last night. I trust you, Mary Margaret. And when I found out you kept something from me that pertained to what we were talking about… you can understand why I'm upset."

"I do." She nods, guilt written all over her face. "And I'm sorry for that. I thought I was doing what's best."

"I know you'd never intentionally hurt me." Emma takes a few steps closer. "I just don't want there to be any secrets, because I need to be able to trust you to have my back. I think that's what friends do… right? I'm not being sarcastic, I really don't know."

"It's exactly what they do."

"Okay." She smiles and gives the smaller woman a hug. "I have yours."

"Great."

"Yeah." Emma pulls back, getting uncomfortable with all the emotion. "I uh, I should go. I have to babysit Graham."

"Hold on, I'll give you the chicken pot pie I made."

"You don't have-"

"I have three of them." At the blonde's perplexed look, she adds, "I'm a nervous cooker."

"Okay." She draws out the last syllable. "Thanks."

"Give Graham my best wishes."

"I will." With a hand on the knob, Emma turns back around. "I know what you did."

"What did I do?"

"You and Graham… that little intervention. Don't do it again." She says, giving the brunette a knowing look. Mary Margaret can only smirk.

"I put some more of your clothes in a box outside the door." They both give one last smile before Emma leaves.

* * *

When she opens the door to Graham's house, she almost has a heart attack herself when he's right next to' the door.

"What the-!"

"Hi." He grins. "What's in the box?"

"Mary Margaret killed half the world's chicken population, and this is the result." Emma says while he looks at the pie.

"That's the pie, not the box."

"Some more of my clothes."

"Let me bring it upstairs for you." He offers, placing the food on the counter.

"You're sick." She says, already starting up the stairs to put it in his guest bedroom. She opens it to take stock of what's actually in it and smiles at how neatly they're folded. All she ever does is throw them in.

"Does it have to be baked?" He yells from the kitchen. This pulls Emma out of her reverie and sends her flying down the stairs. She doesn't trust him to use hot appliances while taking prescription pain meds.

"I don't think so, I'll just microwave it." She says, ushering him back to the couch.

"Nice place to put the note." Graham comments dryly.

"I figured you'd be able to find it there." She grins and heads back to the kitchen to get their dinner.

"I take it things went well if you came home with something to eat." He follows her.

"It did, not that it's any of your business." Emma says, placing the pie in the microwave.

"Actually, I think you warm it up in the oven so it doesn't get soggy." Graham finally says after he realizes she wasn't going to put it in the oven.

"Thirty seconds in the microwave isn't going to kill it." She protests, but he opens the door anyway and hits the 'bake' button on the oven dashboard.

"I don't know about you, but I prefer crispy crust." He says, giving her an amused look.

"Shut up." She kisses him. After they break apart, he breathes,

"That's one way to shut me up." He goes in for another one but she pulls back.

"Now." She's smiling mischievously and while it's cute, it's irritating Graham to no end. "Let's put it in the microwave so it'll be done faster." Just then, the oven beeped.

"Nope." They both made a mad dash for the pie but he was faster. "It's going in the oven." The door creaked when he opened it, and he placed it on one of the racks. "Let's leave it in there for a couple minutes."

"I'm supposed to be taking care of you." She says.

"As I said before, I'm not a cripple." Graham resists the urge to roll his eyes.

"What part of you _died_ can you not wrap that gorgeous head of yours around?"

"I should start hanging around you more often; I get such huge confidence boosts." He quips, ignoring the first part of her statement.

"If you keep insisting you're okay then I'm going to believe it." She says.

"I am." Graham insists.

"Fine." She gives him a famous 'Emma-glare' before punching him playfully in the arm.

"Ow!" He rubs the assaulted appendage with mock hurt plastered on his face.

"You said you were fine." She says with a teasing smile. The oven beeps again. "Sit." She orders, and he obeys. They're halfway through dinner before either of them speaks again. They've spent so much time together, idle chat doesn't quite entertain them. They can only spend so long talking about Ruby's newest target before getting bored.

"You're amazing." He says.

"What?" Emma almost chokes. She wasn't expecting that.

"I've never dated anyone like you before. I love it. And you."

"Um… thanks? You, too. You're not a jerk after all. There's more to you than your daunting good looks." She replies, wishing her sleep-deprived brain could supply something more useful and a little less lame.

"See." He chuckles. "Regina would have gloated. You don't give yourself enough credit." Normally she would have disliked the fact that he brought up one of his exes, and more specifically, her nemesis, but tonight she doesn't care. Again, she doesn't know how to respond so she settles for mushing some peas around on her plate. When Graham sees she isn't going to say anything, he continues. "I know this isn't really my place, but you did the right thing giving Henry up." It's obviously what's been haunting her ever since she came to Storybrooke. "You were in no position to raise him at the time. Regina did all the hard work; now, you can pick up where she's clearly leaving off."

"Where?"

"Loving him."

"Graham…" She looks up at him for the first time, eyes pleading.

"It's easy for a toddler and young child to think that love consists of having their needs met. As he's getting older, he _needs_ a positive role model. Regina doesn't cover that. You do."

"Is this another intervention?"

"For the record, no. This is just you and me talking." He says.

"You can be his role model." She gets up and puts her dish in the sink.

"But he idolizes _you_, Emma." He follows suit. Sighing angrily, she stomps up the stairs fully prepared to barricade herself in her room if need be. Realizing he isn't going to stop, she turns around, eyes wild.

"Why do you care?"

"Because I care about you and what you care about." Damn those soft, loving eyes she's met with that she always has to believe.

"Fine. Okay. I listened. What do you want me to say?" Emma asks, breathing heavily between words.

"Anything that acknowledges you know how much you mean to me… and Henry and Mary Margaret. Especially me."

"I do." She kisses him again.

"Did anyone tell you that you have serious mood swings?"

"Yeah. Don't tell me you're complaining."

"Absolutely not. I'd much rather have lovable Emma than angry Emma." He replies. "Although, both are pretty cute…" he grins.

"I'm not cute." She crosses her arms and almost pouts, but catches herself. "Cute is what you call a kitten."

"In that case, you're my lioness." Graham guides her back to the couch.

"You're my wolf." She says.

"They don't get along." He corrects her.

"Don't be so anal."

"Ready for _The Last Song_?" He holds up a DVD.

"Another sappy love movie?" Emma groans.

"I don't have any games to play."

"I could think of a few that involve alcohol." She smirks.

"I can't drink right now." He says.

"Then we won't use alcohol. Then maybe we'll be able to remember." She says, trying to think of anything to get out of watching another one of those movies.

"I'm the sick one." Graham puts on his best puppy dog face.

"Fine." She rolls her eyes. "Just don't make this a habit."

"I promise next time we'll watch _Lara Croft: Tomb Raider_." He says, heading out to the kitchen to make some popcorn. "And just so you know, _popcorn_ goes in the microwave."

"If you don't get out here, I'm going to start it without you just for that comment!"

"But it needs thirty more seconds." He practically whines.

"Hey! You know what I just realized? You pulled the 'sick' card right after you kept insisting you're absolutely fine." Emma says. He came back in and handed a bowl to her as a peace offering. She popped one in her mouth.

"What can I say, I'm quite the charmer." He smirks.

"Maybe I should start calling you _Charming_."

"Very well, Princess."


	6. Chapter 6

**WAS WICKED HAPPY TO SEE THIS STORY WAS AT THE BOTTOM OF MY 'TO UPDATE' ROTATION AGAIN, WHICH MEANS I GET TO START WRITING THE NEXT CHAPTER AND HOPEFULLY GETTING IT UP SOON! THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR REVIEWS. THEY MAKE MY DAY! IN **_**ITALICS**_** IS EMMA'S NIGHTMARE.**

**DON'T OWN IT.**

They're watching the latest episode of "Wheel of Fortune" when she hears him start snoring. Smiling fondly, she gently shakes him awake.

"Hm?" Graham moans, his eyes half open.

"You fell asleep again. I should put you to bed."

"I can go to bed myself. I'm not five." Slowly, he gets up and starts shuffling to the stairs. Clearly, he's sleepwalking.

"Dr. Whale told me to watch you and I fully intend to listen to him." Emma follows him, putting two hands on his back while going up the stairs to guide him so he doesn't fall backwards. She doesn't feel like getting squashed tonight.

"No, he told you to make sure I don't have another heart attack." He protests.

"Graham, can you please just cooperate?" She feels a migraine coming on and is thankful it's bedtime so she can just sleep it off. Hopefully it won't extend into the morning.

"I _am_." The brunette whines and Emma would almost think it's comical if she wasn't so frustrated.

"Keep walking." She instructs, and winces at the tone of her voice. It came out much harsher than she'd intend.

"I'm sorry, Emma." Graham almost slurs. Pain pills and sleepwalking are never a good mix, the blonde realizes.

"I'm not mad. Just go to bed." She orders and feels like a mother telling a small child that it's bedtime and the child deciding they're having too much fun. For a fleeting moment, she wonders if this is what it was like for Regina.

"Goodnight." He says a little more clearly. He turns around and hugs her, then places a kiss on her lips. "Sure you don't want to sleep with me?"

"Yes." She says quickly. That's a big step she doesn't want to take while he's zonked out. It's definitely not because she doesn't want to get used to his warm body next to hers every night, or so she tells herself. She trusts him. It's a mantra that goes through her head every time they kiss or some other form of affection. Maybe if she keeps saying it she'll eventually believe it.

"Okay." He falls into the bed and she helps him pull the covers up. It still hurts him to engage his abdominal muscles, and sometimes the scar tissue catches on his ribs and that is painful, as well.

"Goodnight." Hesitantly, she kisses his forehead and heads into the bathroom to brush her teeth. She's tempted to leave the light off so she doesn't have to face her reflection but doesn't know the room well enough, so she has to turn it on. She catches sight of herself, looking decidedly better but still worn. _Don't I always these days_, she thinks. Emma looks away, not wanting to start hating herself again for two contrasting things: letting her walls down so much and not letting them down enough. That doesn't stop them from crossing her mind, though, and she brushes her teeth in record time. As she slips into bed, she hopes her sleep won't be filled with nightmares. She tries to pretend Graham's holding her again, but in her heart she knows he isn't.

* * *

_Emma watches in horror as Regina reaches into Graham's chest. He screams, unable to fall to the ground but is still writhing. She feels rooted to the spot, wanting desperately to stop the Mayor but her feet are unresponsive. Somehow over the man's cries, Regina's voice can be heard._

"_This is for what your mother did to me." She pulls out a glowing heart and squeezes it. Graham falls to the ground. His heart hasn't been crushed, but he feels like he's about to die. Emma finds her voice._

"_Leave him out of it! He didn't do anything!" Graham would love to tell the blonde to shut up but he feels paralyzed, except he doesn't have the privilege of numbness._

"_If only it were as simple as killing you, Miss Swan. The only way to hurt Snow White is to make you suffer. You'd much rather die than watch your true love perish in agony." Regina seethes. She begins squeezing even harder, Graham's yelps going up an octave. A sob catches in Emma's throat and she can't tear her gaze away from his._

"_Please!" She's never begged for anything in her life but Graham means almost as much as Henry to her and she figures he's worth it. Regina seems to bask in enjoyment at her distress._

"_Any last words, Huntsman?" The Queen looms over him_

"_I… love… you… Emma…" He manages to gasp out. Regina crushes his heart, the dust getting carried away in the wind the blonde just realized had begun to pick up, whipping her hair in her face, getting stuck in her tears. Graham's suddenly limp and she watches desperately for his chest to move, but it doesn't. A raw, primal scream escapes her._

* * *

Graham shoots up at the shriek, running as fast as his tired body allows into Emma's room. He finds her tangled in the covers, a fine sheet of sweat glistening on her body. It's obviously another nightmare and he takes a moment to calm down. There's no immediate emergency and he needs to have his wits if wants to make any attempt to coax her out of the dream.

"Emma." He whispers, gently rubbing circles on her back. Her eyes open, wide and terrified, and she sits up, breathing heavily. "It was just a dream." He hugs her, suddenly unsure of what to do. If it wasn't such an ungodly hour and she was awake he knows she'd be pushing him off and claiming to be fine. That he could deal with. Faced with a half-asleep and horrified Emma was something he was unacquainted with. He briefly considered calling Mary Margaret for help but a quick glance out the window reminded him of why he was in the situation to begin with. Her breathing has slowed considerably, and he takes that as a good sign. "It's me, Graham. I'm right here." He doesn't know what he said right, but she pulls back and visibly relaxes. She still hasn't let go of his hands and there are unshed tears in her eyes, and that scares him. "What happened?"

"You died." She says in a shaky voice. "Oh God, it was just a dream but it felt so real." She puts her head in her hands, trying to rid the image from her brain.

"I died." Graham repeats. Only now does he realize that he actually _did_, and how close it came to being permanent. "I really did die, Emma." He says.

"Yeah but this time… Regina ripped your heart out and crushed it, and you didn't wake up." Realizing how much she's revealing to him, the blonde's walls are right back up, her face once again unreadable. "But you're alive and fine, so it's okay."

"C'mon." He takes her hand and starts pulling her towards his room.

"I don't need to sleep with you, it was just a nightmare." Emma laughs humorlessly, putting up a false sense of bravado. The truth is she's scared to death and desperately needs to feel his warmth and his heartbeat. Of course she isn't going to come willingly, and he's prepared for it. Normally he's just carry her in but his incision won't allow it so he puts a puppy dog face on.

"Maybe _I_ want you in here with me." It's enough to get her to surrender and she follows him in. Once they're settled, he says, "Besides, I know you've been having them ever since I had my heart attack, except for last night when you slept with me."

"It's more than just that." She says quietly, refusing to meet his gaze. Graham looks at her patiently, waiting for her to continue. "I feel like I'm always scared these days. I guess, for the first time, I'm actually allowing myself to feel emotions. I've been hurt before… I vowed never to let it happen again and then Henry showed up at my door and everything's changed." Emma sighs in frustration. "Who am I, Graham? I don't even know anymore. I'm so sick of being scared. I mean, if I don't have my walls, and I'm not always mad at everything and… I stop smashing peoples' heads into steering wheels because they made a crack about my lack of family, then am I even Emma Swan anymore?"

"Of course." Graham says is as if it's the most obvious thing. "Just because you don't glare at everyone who walks by doesn't mean you aren't the most badass person I've ever met."

"But it's who I am." She insists.

"That's a _part_ of who you are. You're also incredibly compassionate, even if you deny it." He rolls her over so she's forced to look at him. "Emma, what are you so afraid of?"

"Getting attached to people, because they'll all leave me anyway."

"That's what your parents did. I'm not going to, Mary Margaret won't, and Henry won't, at least unless he's physically forced to stay away." She searches his eyes and only finds honesty.

"But how can I-" He already knows what she's going to say and puts a finger on her lips.

"I'm going to see Archie because almost dying has really freaked me out. I'm sure he'd be glad to see us together." She snorts at him.

"Seriously? Oh, you are. That was really insensitive, I'm sorry."

"You can make it up by coming." He says.

"Do I look like I need a shrink?"

"I heard about the toaster you broke… as well as the flowers you through in the trash… and your latest implosion… and the nightmares." He tries to put it lightly without being accusative or patronizing. Still, she hits him with a pillow. "If I want you to trust me I can't ever lie."

"When's your appointment?"

"Tomorrow afternoon."

"I'll go on one condition: we say I'm going to help you remember what happened that night so you can come to terms with it." She says.

"Or for moral support." Graham suggests.

"That too."

"Can we go to bed now?" He yawns.

"Yes." For the first time in a while, Emma finally wants to sleep.

**I WOULD LOVE SOME FEEDBACK! THANKS FOR READING.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I JUMPED UP AND DOWN WHEN I LOOKED AND IT WAS TIME TO UPDATE THIS ONE AGAIN! YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING, THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

**DON'T OWN IT.**

Emma opens her eyes to sunlight streaming in through the window. The brightness temporarily blinds her, but from what little of the room she could see, she knew it wasn't hers. She sits up only to find no one else in there. Then it all comes flooding back. She groans. Finally she realizes Graham isn't there and he very well could have fallen down the stairs. For a brief moment she panics, then smells the bacon. She gets up and quietly pads down the stairs and watches him from the doorway. He's humming _Jar of Hearts_ and clearly doesn't notice her. She smirks before calling out,

"I'm supposed to be taking care of you."

"Cheese and Christmas!" He jumps, the contents of a bowls almost slopping out onto the floor. "Good morning."

"Cheese and Christmas?" She raises an eyebrow before sauntering over to him, wrapping her arms around his necks and pulling him in for a deep, passionate kiss.

"I'm trying not to swear. I'm not exactly religious, but if there is a God, he was good enough to let me live." Graham explains.

"_Okay_, then. What are you making?"

"Bacon and omelets." He replies, resuming his task.

"Graham! You just had a heart attack, and you want to load up on fat and cholesterol?" Emma scolds.

"Dr. Whale said it wasn't a clogged artery, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's to not waste time on stupid things. If you're going to live, you might as well enjoy it." He says, pouring the eggs onto a pan.

"That doesn't mean you can just disregard the _rest_ of your health!"

"I'm not." He insists. "I just don't want to live in fear."

"Graham." Emma takes his hand into hers. "I agree, you shouldn't be scared of having another heart attack, but trying to prove you're not isn't good, either. Trust me. I won't think any less of you –no one will. All that matters is your opinion."

"Thank you." He hugs her. She catches sight of the clock, and it hits her like a ton of red bricks.

"We're late! Why didn't you wake me up?"

"You needed to sleep. Besides, it's Friday." He says, shifting so he can flip the omelet.

"It may be Friday, but it's my first day as Acting Sheriff. To Hell with sleep!" She runs up the stairs to change.

"Sorry!" He calls. Ten minutes later they're driving down to the station, the omelets and bacon resting on a plate between them. Why Storybrooke didn't have Tupaware, Emma couldn't figure out. She glares at him every few minutes, but the fact that she answers his questions tells him she's not that mad. The situation goes from bad to worse when Regina's Lincoln comes into view outside the station. Graham decides to carry the food before the thought of smashing it into the brunette's face crosses Emma's mind.

"You're almost two hours late." The Mayor says diplomatically, but the small smile playing across her lips gives away how much she's enjoying it.

"It's not like you can fire me; there's no one else qualified." The blonde says before Graham can take the fall.

"Sydney Glass is _much_ more qualified than you, Miss Swan. He knows Storybrooke almost as well as me." Regina challenges.

"I don't think anyone really cares if he can dig up records illegally. They would rather know they can trust their Sheriff and Deputy to actually catch the criminal than collapse in pursuit because they've been sitting behind a desk for too long." Emma knows her statement implements Regina, too, and she's relishing in the fact that she's reminding her she was unable to save Henry. For a moment the Mayor looks as if she's going to hit her again, but knows it's too public and people would find out, so she settles for glaring daggers at the two.

"I _know_ my citizens want people who can show up on time." Regina seethes before storming off.

"They won't believe you!" Graham says. He knows he's hit a nerve when she doesn't even acknowledge what he said. Grinning, they head inside and get everything situated. Their breakfast is still warm and quite delicious. As most days, it is a slow one. Granny hasn't even called in to ask for assistance in making sure Ruby isn't being harassed. Emma and Graham end up playing a game of basketball, using paper balls and a trash can. It's only when Graham begins packing up his things that she remembers her promise to him. She feels nauseous and actually wants to puke; then she'll get out of having to see Archie.

"Graham, I don't feel good."

"You're just nervous. It'll be okay." He takes her hand and leads her out of the station. "On our way home I'll get you a donut."

"You can't bribe me with food." It doesn't come out with the chuckle she intends it to. He picks up on this.

"Em, I don't want to force you into anything." Graham says with the right amount of seriousness and concern. colored

"I made you a promise." She says, purposely leaving out the part about desperately wanting to let her walls down, just enough for him, Mary Margaret and Henry to get in. "Unless you don't want me to come?"

"It's not that at all." He's glad he's driving so he doesn't have to look at her. He can feel his cheeks burn with embarrassment, and is also glad the sun's setting, putting a reddish tint on everything. "It's just… you probably want someone who's, well… macho."

"What?" Emma sputters, eyes widening with shock. "That's… no. Just no. I hate guys like that. How could you even think...?"

"Because you're so gorgeous and if fairy tales existed, you'd be from them! You'd be married to a knight in shining armor, not some cop." He insists.

"You're exactly what I need. I don't want a guy like that because they're overprotective and think they're superior and I can't stand it. You _care_ about me. That's what I want. Besides, even if you are on the emotional side, I love that. We cancel each other out. I mean, picture me with someone who's detached; we'd never talk."

"I guess we're kinda good together." Graham admits.

"Kinda?" Emma scoffs as he pulls into a parking spot. "Let's face it: we're downright hot." Of course she can't let things get too deep, not when they're about to see a shrink and talk about feelings for an hour. A goofy schoolboy grin crosses his face and he licks his lips. "Keep dreaming." Sometimes, she just can't resist toying with him.

"You're mean." He pouts as they walk into the building.

"I'm mean? You're the one making me see a shrink." She says, yanking the door open. She sits in a chair while Graham checks them in. A few minutes later Archie opens a door and smiles. Graham takes her hand but she pulls it away. She still isn't comfortable with PDA yet and it doesn't go unnoticed by the psychologist. Once they get settled in he begins talking.

"I'm really glad you're here. Supporting one another is the most important thing in a relationship."

"So what do we do, tell a sob story?" Emma looks at him incredulously, but Archie still gives her a patient smile.

"If you want. Or we could talk about the weather. Whatever, really."

"I guess I'll break the ice." Graham says after a few moments. "I'm sure you already know this, but I died. I guess I live in this constant fear of it happening again and… not getting a second chance." His voice wobbles at the end. It's incredibly hard for him to say those words because he can barely even acknowledge the fact that he died, never mind how scared he is every waking moment. Emma, who had been slouching with her arms crossed, sits up to give his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"That's perfectly normal." Archie says, remaining nonjudgmental. He holds back a smile; the two really are cute together.

"You know what he did this morning?" The blonde interjects. Obviously, she's never been to a therapy session in her life. Again, Archie has to school a look of nonchalance on his face when he wants nothing more than to smile. "He made bacon and eggs."

"Are you trying to trick yourself into thinking you're not terrified?" He chooses his words carefully. The sooner the Sheriff can realize his magnitude of fear, the easier it'll be to work past it.

"Yes." Graham admits, looking sheepish.

"Sheriff, it's great that you're recognizing all of this. I know it doesn't seem like it and you want nothing more than to be fine, but I'd be worried if you _didn't_ have PTSD." Archie says, writing some stuff down in his notebook.

"I don't have PTSD." Graham declares, shooting alarmed looks between Emma and the man. Archie peers at him over his glasses before allowing a small smile to grace his lips.

"Nightmares, stretches of time that can be between a few moments and minutes where you feel as though you're suffocating? What about staring at your incision or panicking whenever you see an ambulance or go by the hospital?" That matched him to a tee, and he can only nod. "I thought so."

"There's something you can do for that, though, right?" Emma asks. "I mean, he shouldn't have to feel like this."

"There are multiple options." Archie assures her. "There's talk therapy, which is what we're doing now. We could also accompany that with some medicines. I think we should stick with the latter."

"For how long?" Graham questions. On the phone, it seemed like a much better idea.

"However long it takes."

"Can I be done in a month?" He really, _really_ hates this. He can feel the panic and nausea begin to set in –even thinking about reliving that experience is horrible.

"Graham, what you suffered was extremely traumatic. You have to understand that." Archie says, his eyes kind. Graham sighs in frustration, raking a hand through his hair. He's never been one to be scared and this… well, this leaves him absolutely speechless. Even when he was fighting for something no one else believed in, he was never fearful. He feels as though he's lost life before, metaphorically of course, but just as quick as the thought leaves. Emma removes her hand from his and places it on his back. He wants to shake her off, but knows this is a huge step for them. She seems to sense his agitation, though and snatches it away like he's on fire. Maybe he is. Graham knows he's flushed, and he feels like the room's an oven, baking him. His girlfriend's reaction only further angers him. Why can't he do anything right. Abruptly, he gets up and stalks out, unable to take it anymore. He makes it to the safety of the car before breaking down, the tears running unchecked down his face. He screwed up. Surely Emma would never want to be with him now. He left her all alone with the man who was no doubt going to dig up painful memories. She didn't even _want_ to do this, and it was all but written stone that she was going to hate him for abandoning her.

* * *

Normally Archie would be intimidated by the blonde's glare, but the moisture gathering along her lash line told him she wasn't going to do anything, not today anyway. That's why he took the plunge and crossed a line he wouldn't cross if she was in a better emotional state.

"It's not your fault." He says.

"Yeah, okay." Emma laughs humorlessly, sarcasm lacing her words as she blinks back tears. "I put my hand on him."

"One of the symptoms of PTSD is mood swings. Recalling his near-death experience is what triggered the anger, not you." At her incredulous look, he continued. "Think about it this way. When you feel vulnerable, you're immediately on the defensive. It's the same thing for him." She mulls this over for a few moments before speaking.

"How do I fix it?"

"This isn't something surgical, Emma. The brain is a very complex thing."

"There has to be _something_ I can do." She whispers. She'll die before she allows him to be sucked away by this thing.

"You can't force an illness to go away." Archie explains steadily. "But you're right. There many things you can do to help. First and foremost, offer him support. Be understanding without victimizing him. Make sure he knows it's perfectly fine to feel the way he does." There's a soft knock on the door and it opens to reveal Graham. It's obvious he's been crying and he makes no attempts at hiding it. Emma has to physically restrain herself from launching herself at him. Instead, she gestures to where he had been sitting and he walks over hesitantly.

"I'm sorry." Graham says. "I felt like I was being smothered and I needed to get out."

"There's no need to apologize." Archie smiles. Emma nods in agreement. The Sheriff glances at his girlfriend, trying to get a sense of what they were talking about. He assumes it wasn't about her because she doesn't have a murderous look on her face, but she still squirms under the psychologists gaze. Apparently, he thinks, she doesn't like being put into a neat, little box. "Are you feeling better?" _Yes, after a mental breakdown._

"Can we not talk about me anymore? I'm really tired." In his peripheral vision, he sees Emma tense and mentally prepares himself for the assault that's likely to come tonight.

"That's fine." Emma bites back a string of curses at Archie's response and resists the urge to chew him out and mock the impossible amount of patience the man has. He looks at the blonde expectantly and she opens and closes her mouth a couple of times. She can do this, right? She shifts, weighing her options; run or stay. A promise is a promise, though, and she owes this to Graham after all the crap she pulled.

"I'm scared." Well that's certainly the understatement of the century. 'Freaking terrified' wouldn't even begin to cover it.

"Of what?"

"Everything." This is so much harder than it looks on TV. "I'm letting people in for the first time in my life. My boyfriend died right in front of me." The words still send a chill through her, even during the day with him sitting right next to her. "I guess I'm waiting for Mary Margaret to kick me out or something, and Henry to decide I'm not who he thinks I am." Archie writes something in his notebook. Emma waits for him to tell her she's crazy.

"You're afraid that without your walls you'll get hurt." Bull's-eye. He knows he's right when she looks down. "Emma, they may keep out pain," He says.

"But they may also keep out love." She finishes. They look at each other, amazed. "Where'd you hear that?"

"I could ask the same of you." He's not supposed to be sarcastic, but he feels an inkling of something, almost like a memory. She's glaring at him, and Archie swears he's seen those eyes before. They remind him of winter… but that's just an association of the coldness in them. That's what it is. Anything else would be insane.

"Mary Margaret said those exact words." She explains. They stare at each other for a few more moments before he comes to his senses.

"Anyway. She's a very smart woman and is exactly right. I'm not saying you have to demolish them all at once, but as soon as you let one down, you'll find not everyone is out to get you."

"I have." Emma says with a hint of annoyance. "And I'm terrified and I don't want to feel like this anymore."

"So your solution is to act angrier and more hostile to compensate for the added vulnerability." Archie says matter-of-factly.

"I'm not hostile!" She declares, thinking back to what Henry said at his castle. Graham's been very good about keeping his opinions to himself but at this statement he can't resist rolling his eyes, a gesture that doesn't go unnoticed by Archie or Emma. "I'm not."

"Do you realize what you just said?" He asks.

"Fine. I'm not hostile unless you do something to me, Mary Margaret, or my kid… or you." She says with a small smile that he returns.

"Emma, you glare at people if they look at you while walking down the street." Graham continues, knowing she's grateful for the banter that if anything, is entertaining their shrink.

"Intimidation is a way for people to feel safer, especially if they've been hurt in the past. In Emma's case, there's also aggression. In her mind, it hides the weakness she thinks people will prey on."

"You say it like I'm wrong." She says it like a challenge because she takes it as one. Archie realizes his mistake: he should validate her for the first few sessions.

"I should have used a better word choice, sorry. Yes, some people would prey on that, but not everyone." He apologizes.

"People who tailgate others and flip the bird are aggressive." Emma ignores him. Her mind is racing faster than her mouth and she slips on a few words.

"Do you have road rage?" Graham asks innocently.

"Yes, but that's not the point." She wonders if this is what Graham felt like, except to a lesser extent. If it is, she can't even imagine the anger that must have coursed through him and the nagging need to leave.

"Just take a few deep breaths, okay?" Archie says, demonstrating. He wasn't fully prepared for Graham's outburst and he intends to be for hers, but he'd love to stop it before it gets there.

"Why are you ganging up on me?" He definitely screwed this up.

"Emma, we're not." Graham says. She stands up, fists clenched. Of course she'd think they're ganging up on her; he hates himself for not thinking of it sooner, for not recognizing the signs because they were all there. Without another word she storms out, and he's left to give Archie an apologetic look. The psychologist gives him a smile, and he takes that as permission to follow his girlfriend. He's relieved to see the familiar yellow car still parked in front of the building. Emma had insisted on taking it so as not to draw attention, but he smiles. The obnoxious color would be much more noticeable than the cruiser. He finds her sitting in the passenger seat. He's glad to know her intention never was to desert him.

"Drive." She commands when he opens the door. Graham obeys, starting the engine.

"You can't be mad at me." He says, pulling into traffic. "You knew I was staging an intervention, and you agreed to it."

"Can I at least be annoyed?" She asks, her head making a 'thud' as it came to a rest on the window. She barely had any energy; it was all spent maintaining her _I don't care_ face. Honestly, she didn't even have enough to pretend to be irate.

"How can you be annoyed at this?" He risks taking his eyes off the road for a moment to give her a puppy dog face. It didn't really matter since the car that was ahead of them had turned and it was a clear straightaway. It melts the rest of her resolve.

"I can't." She says, closing her eyes. "I'm so tired." He knows she doesn't mean physically. It's only 5:30.

"Then stop fighting us. I will _always_ love you, and so will Henry and Mary Margaret." He says and when her bottom lip starts trembling, he sighs. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's not you." She says, managing to staunch the tears for the time being. "God, this sucks. I don't usually… I'm not like this."

"I know." Graham reaches over, placing a comforting hand over hers.

"I'm sorry." She feels pathetic and wants nothing more than to disappear.

"Emma, you never have to apologize for being vulnerable or needing me." He says.

"Mary Margaret said something along those lines, too." It's really starting to weird her out.

"She's right, you know. I love you."

"Think about what you're getting yourself into. Behind that… that… whatever it is, this is it. I'm fragile and once you get this close… you don't want to get dragged into this mess, Graham. It won't end well for you." Emma desperately wants to save him, but getting him to see it her way is one Hell of a challenge.

"You're a diamond, Emma." He says, glad to be home so he can look at her and make her believe him. "You're beautiful and a lot tougher than you look. A lot stronger than you _think_."

"I don't feel like that." She says, her voice breaking.

"C'mere." He pulls her into an awkward hug. Having the gear shifter in the middle of them is making it difficult for any physical contact. "Let's get out and have some chicken pot pie and hot chocolate." Graham gets out and leads her into the house. He fills a mug with water and puts it in the microwave while she puts the leftover pie in the oven. "Do you believe me?"

"Just because you believe something it doesn't make it true."

"Please stop arguing with me." He says, embracing her. "Hey, is something burning?"

"Smells like it." She replies, glad for a distraction.

"What did you do?" Graham asks, automatically opening the oven to find smoke coming out of it. "Emma, really? Everyone knows not to put the cling wrap in the oven." He pulls the food out and places it in the sink.

"I'll order pizza." She declares, grabbing the phone. He can only smile to himself, staring at the charred mess.

**SORRY ABOUT IT TAKING SO LONG TO GET UP, BUT THIS ONE WAS A PRETTY LONG UPDATE, RIGHT? WORTH IT?**


	8. Chapter 8

**SORRY IT'S TAKEN SO LONG TO GET THIS UP. THIS ONE HAS A BIT MORE EMMA/HENRY THAN USUAL, SO I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE THAT.**

**DON'T OWN IT.**

The pizza arrives a few minutes later and they sit on the couch, flipping through the channels and finally settling on _The Bachelor_. Graham scoffs half the time at the man's stupidity.

"Why can't he see that these women are playing him" He asks, looking at Emma.

"Because men make stupid decisions once a hot girl walks in the room." She answers.

"And why do they do that? They know exactly what they're doing." He says, and she gives him a sly smile with a twinkle in her eye.

"That's the fun."

"Please tell me that's not why you want to be with me…"

"Of course it's not! I love you." She snuggles close to him and yawns.

"Think we should go to bed?"

"Nope." He feels her shake her head.

"You can sleep with me again." Graham offers.

"I don't need to." She says stubbornly. He's the one who nearly died for good, he should be having nightmares, not the other way around.

"I don't want you to have anymore nightmares." It's amazing how well he knows her.

"Okay." She relents.

"Thank you." Graham smiles, taking her hand and leading her up to bed. "Are your nightmares just about me?"

"Yes." She admits, sighing in content as he wraps his arms around her.

"Sorry." He apologizes, pulling her closer. "I'm not going anywhere, though. Don't worry."

"The dreams feel so real." She whispers. "I don't dream a lot, but when I do I can't really discern them from reality. When I was little," her lips quirk up in a sad smile, "I used to dream about my parents and I going to the zoo. They'd tell me it was all just a big mistake and they were going to take me home."

"Did you ever get to that part?" He doesn't want to know the answer.

"No. Somebody would always wake me up. Look, I'm really tired."

"Me, too." Graham agrees. After a few minutes, she mumbles,

"Tomorrow's Henry's birthday."

"Really?" He sounds excited but concerned, maybe even pitiful. She hates that.

"Yeah. I still haven't figured out what to get him. I was going to go to school and pick him up without Regina knowing, and take him somewhere out of Storybrooke. But I want to give him something, you know?"

"You're loving him. That's all he wants and Regina can't give him that."

"I want him to _open_ something."

"Give him another fairytale book."

"I'm not enabling him, Graham."

"Then just love him." He says gently. Emma can't help but believe he's right. Soon after they fall asleep, and once again, the blonde doesn't have nightmares.

* * *

When the alarm clock goes off, Emma jumps up. Today's her kid's birthday, and for once she can spend it with him. Graham moans and rolls over, placing a pillow over his head.

"Come on." She shakes him gently. "I can't leave you here alone and I need to find Henry a present."

"What time is it?" He asks, the sound of her voice coaxing him slightly.

"5:30." Emma replies sheepishly. "At least I'm in a good mood."

"I need coffee."

"We can after I find something." Emma pulls some clothes out of her bag and puts them on. Graham does the same. "Hey, at least it's Friday. Do you know any Toys R Us's near by?"

"Toys are what?"

"You've never heard of… oh, never mind. This place is wacked. Let's just drive around." A few minutes later, they're in the car and going up and down the streets of Storybrooke.

"How are there no toy stores here?" Emma grumbles, haphazardly parking the car in a fit of rage. All she wants to do is give her son a birthday present.

"Calm down, Em. It'll be fine." He says. The blonde huffs and gets out of the car, slamming the door. Graham sighs, knowing it's not even 6:30 yet and all of the residents of Storybrooke will be awakened because their Deputy is having a bad day. Nausea hits him when he realizes she's about to cross the street to Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop. Emma doesn't look when she crosses and has to calm herself before entering the dim store. Graham is quick to follow.

"Gold, you in here?"

"Just a minute, Ms. Swan." The man calls from somewhere in the back. Emma crosses her arms, poking at a puppet. Graham gently guides her away from it; he doesn't want to have to arrest her for property damage. Mr. Gold comes out with a small box, his face unreadable. "I believe it's Henry's birthday, correct?"

"Uh, yeah."

"I presume you're here because you couldn't find anything else." He allows a small smile to grace his lips.

"Just get to the point." She says impatiently.

"I knew you'd be in, so, I went through my stuff and found this." He opens the box, revealing a small heart-shaped necklace with _Henry_ etched into it across the front.

"That's kind of creepy. You just had something with my son's name on it lying around?" Emma asks, looking at him incredulously. Gold chuckles.

"Not quite, Dearie. It opens up, see."

"Let me guess, you put a picture in it?"

"Sydney Glass snapped quite a beautiful one of you and the boy after the mine collapse."

"And you have it right there." Emma points to Mr. Gold's other hand.

"Even if you're grumpy in the morning, you still are sharp." He comments, placing a small picture on the counter.

"Alright, how much do you want for it?"

"Consider it an apology." Mr. Gold slips the picture in and puts the locket back in the box. Emma knows better than to pry, so she takes the box.

"Thanks." With that, her and Graham head towards the door.

"Give Henry birthday wishes from me, please." The brunette turns toward the man to glare, then opens the door for Emma. Once in the car, they sigh.

"What time are you kidnapping Henry?"

"Well," the blonde grins, "Mary Margaret may or may not know something about it. Probably around 11:00 since Regina will be in meetings all day."

"Geez, on her son's birthday?" At Emma's glare, he backpedals. "I mean, she adopted him and signed up to take care of him."

"That's why I want him back."

"You do?"

"Uh…" She flushes, realizing how far she went. "I want him to be happy. I feel responsible, cause, you know, I gave him up. I may not be able to be a full time mother, but I can bring him to the doctor and I love him a lot more than Regina does."

"Are you going to try to get custody?"

"I don't have anything on her. It's not like she abuses him."

"She hits you and calls him crazy."

"That was _one_ time."

"Still." He laughs. "I wouldn't call her stable. I don't think Archie would, either."

"She's the mayor and I'm me. I'm not important."

"You are to me and Henry and Mary Margaret." He reaches over and cups her cheek, pulling her in for a kiss.

"Mm, come on." She reluctantly pulls back. "We don't need Sydney snapping pictures of us making out. Let's go to Granny's to get your coffee and some breakfast, then to the station."

"Okay." Graham sighs, pouting. When they walk into the diner, everyone stares at them. Of course they do, they're the new 'thing'. Nothing ever happens in Storybrooke, so they're huge. Graham smiles while Emma glares, and together they go up to the counter.

"I can't believe how many people are here this early." She whispers.

"What can I get for you guys?" Ruby bounces over, bubbly as ever.

"The usual."

"And coffee." Graham adds. The young woman smirks at the two of them, then heads to the coffee machine.

"You guys can get your donuts if you want." In a minute she returns with two steaming cups. Graham pays and they get back in the cruiser to the station.

"Only four more hours." Emma smiles as she sits down at her desk. "Hey, are you sure you're going to be okay when I leave?"

"Be with your son." He assures her. "As long as you come back."

"Of course I will." After clearing her inbox, Emma saunters over to Graham, leaning against his desk. "For now, though, I believe we were in the middle of something."

"We were." He gets up, pulling her close. This time when they kiss, it's long. Usually, they're both very passionate and aggressive lovers, but it's different. There isn't a sense of urgency; they can take all the time in the world.

"I'm sorry!" A voice that they recognize as Mary Margaret's comes through the open door. _Damn_, Emma thinks.

"It's fine." She says, smoothing her hair a little bit. She doesn't know why she feels as if she's a teenager who's just been caught making out by her mother. She shakes it off.

"I was just double checking 11:00, right? I'll ask him to stay in the room for a minute to discuss something and you'll be in."

"That would be amazing." Emma says. "I'm counting down the minutes."

"Great." Mary Margaret smiles. "See you then." She has to force herself not to run out of there. Once she's gone, the lovers giggle, then put hands over their mouths; that was uncharacteristic. That starts a whole new bout of laughter. The phone rings, though, reminding them that the rest of the town is now awake. Graham answers it, grimacing.

"What happened?" She asks after he hangs up.

"Leroy is rather hungover." Graham says. "It's urgent because he's talking rather provocatively to Sister Astrid."

"With my kid in there?" She grabs the keys and storms out, and Graham sighs yet again. She's having one of those days where she's either so happy she's beaming or so mad she's, well, out to murder someone.

"Emma, wait!" He runs after her the best he can with the incision. "He's potentially armed, we can't go in with sirens and lights. We also don't want to scare the kids."

"I'm getting Henry out." The blonde racks her gun. Unfortunately, Graham has to do the same. This could very well end in a shoot-out. "Nope." She locks the doors to her Bug, but her window is slightly cracked. "You just had a heart attack."

"I can't let you go in there alone." He insists, trying to open the yellow door.

"Call Mary Margaret, and tell her to get Henry out of there. Start the evacuation." She turns the engine on and heads down the road. As she pulls up to the school, her heart sinks when she doesn't see the kids outside. Her roommate mustn't have answered her phone. When she walks in the receptionist is about to tell her she can't enter –probably another of Regina's brilliant ideas– but an icy glare shuts the woman up. First she checks Mary Margaret's class, thankful that Leroy isn't there. Next she heads to Astrid's room, relieved that no children are in there. Leroy has her in a corner, and she can see the bulge of a gun through his jacket. Checking to make sure the halls are clear, she opens the door. It doesn't squeak. _At least Regina can do something right_, she thinks. Astrid's eyes are closed and she's shaking like a leaf. Emma pulls out her gun, leveling it with the man's head. She prays she doesn't have to use it.

"You do _not_ say no to me." Leroy spits at the redhead, who is too scared to make a sound.

"Leroy, back away." Emma commands, her voice strong. The town drunk is stunned for a moment. He tenses, as if he's going to reach for his weapon. "Don't even think about it. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Believe me, if we do it the hard way, I'm going to be pissed. My kid's in this building."

"Put that thing away, Sister. I'm not gonna hurt her." He slurs. Quite clearly he's hungover _and_ drunk; perfect.

"I said to back away slowly. Put your hands on your head." Emma doesn't move her gun, but walks closer. Realizing he's screwed, Leroy obeys. "Good. Now I'm going to take your gun from you. Don't try anything." Of course he doesn't listen, whipping around and landing a blow on her nose. Her adrenalin had been pumping from the moment Henry was in danger, and she quickly over powers him in his drunken state. She kicks the gun across the room, then slams Leroy's head on the floor for good measure. It's probably overkill, but she doesn't care.

"Hey, you're hurting my arm." He huffs.

"Good." She puts more pressure against it while slapping on the handcuffs. "You okay?" She looks up to Astrid.

"No." She squeaks, tears falling down her face. "He was going to kill me."

"You're fine now." Emma says, hauling Leroy to his feet. "Obviously I'm taking him to the station, but you're going to have to come, too."

"Okay."

"Let's go." She leads them out the back door so as not to draw attention. She doesn't want _anything_ to screw up her day with Henry. She sits Astrid in the back seat so she can keep an eye on Leroy up front. "Don't puke in my car." He huffs his response.

* * *

When Graham sees the familiar yellow Bug pull in, he's more than relieved. He jogs out to help Emma get Leroy and Astrid inside. He gasps when he sees her nose.

"That looks bad." He says, grabbing Leroy and shoving him through the door. Emma leads Astrid in and sits her down at the interview table, then hands her a water bottle.

"I called her in sick to the school." Emma says back at their desks with the doors closed. "I'm gonna clean this up and then I guess I'll interview Leroy."

"I want to. And let me do that." Once again he grabs the first aid kit, now conveniently laying on his desk. He dabs it with alcohol and she hisses. "Sorry, Em. I should have been with you."

"It's fine, Graham. Seriously."

"I think it's broken." Involuntarily, she shudders, her mind drifting back to the ER and being rushed in for emergency surgery. "I won't make you go to the hospital."

"I'm not scared of hospitals." Emma scoffs. "You said you want to interrogate Leroy?"

"Yes."

"Feel free to slam him around a little bit." She heads into the second interrogation room to get Astrid's statement. As Graham slams the door to the room Leroy is currently occupying, he can't help but think that he's being possessed by Emma Swan.

"You hurt her." He says.

"I told her already I wasn't going to hurt Astrid. I just wanted to talk." Leroy slurs.

"That's not who I'm talking about. You broke Emma's nose."

"Jesus Christ, Sheriff. I didn't mean to." He looks just a little bit remorseful.

"That doesn't change the fact that you did. We have two witnesses, so I'm charging you with a misdemeanor, assault with a deadly weapon, and assaulting a police officer." Graham gets up and throws Leroy against the one-way mirror, putting a crack through it. "If you ever do anything like that again, you will have to face a lot more than jail time."

"Graham!" Emma bursts in. "I didn't mean literally. Put him back in the chair." Looking slightly embarrassed but still enraged, the sheriff does so. She leads him back onto the main floor area and gives him a stern look. "What the Hell was that about?"

"He hurt you." Graham says as if that's reason enough.

"I don't need to be protected." Emma pretends to be mad but she's actually touched. No one has ever cared for her this much. The fact scares her and she can't help but be defensive. "Now he's probably going get the charges dropped because of that stunt."

"I'm sorry." He looks at his feet.

"Whatever. Sister Astrid's going home now, thinking she's safe because Leroy is behind bars. I still have over an hour until I can get Henry so I'll go patrol and you can fill out the paperwork." She snatches the keys from his desk.

"You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine." He watches as she slams the cruiser's door and does a manic three point turn before peeling out of the parking lot. Graham flops into his chair. He knows why he's so affected. Just hearing about the almost-life-and-death-situation is sending him into panic attack. An hour later Leroy's lawyer comes and, as Emma predicted, is able to get the charges dropped because of what Graham did. The small man is leering, but Graham also recognizes the shame in what he did. A few minutes after that, he hears another car skid to a stop and knows who it is. Emma comes in slowly, hands in her pockets, looking embarrassed at her actions, too. He gets up, his eyes hopeful.

"He got out." Graham says.

"I thought he would." Her voice is strained. "Graham, I'm sorry I freaked out. I'm not used to having people care about me and, well, you know. I'm _so_ sorry, Graham." She blinks back tears, and Graham wonders if she really thinks that he's going to leave her.

"Emma, no amount of freaking out can push me away." He rushes over, scooping her up and kissing her head. "Ever. I'm sorry, too. It's the PTSD."

"It's okay." She hugs him. "I wanna talk, but can we do this later? I can't look like a complete train wreck when I pick Henry up."

"Absolutely." He smiles a teary smile of his own. "Is your nose really okay?" He asks as she stands in front of the mirror, running a hand through her hair.

"I'm sure it's broken but that's nothing new. I'll probably reset it tonight." She answers.

"You can do that?"

"I used to catch people who I was the last person they wanted to see. I've gotten into quite a few fights so yes, I've learned how to put it back in place. It'll be blue after and I don't want to scare Henry."

"You're always beautiful." He says, pulling her in for another kiss.

"I gotta go." She smiles when they break apart.

"Wish Henry a happy birthday for me."

"Thanks, I will."

* * *

As planned, Mary Margaret has Henry and when Emma walks in at 11:00, the boy throws himself at her. Instead of freezing, the blonde opens her arms and hugs him.

"Happy birthday, Kid."

"You didn't forget?"

"How could I forget?" She asks.

"I was worried I wasn't going to get to see you." Henry says, looking up at his mother.

"I wouldn't let that happen. I have a surprise for you."

"Cool!"

"You have to come with me." Emma says.

"Okay." Henry doesn't second guess it.

"Have fun!" Mary Margaret calls, smiling at the two. They get in the car and as they head toward the _Leaving Storybrooke_ sign, Henry tenses, waiting for something to happen. When it doesn't he's dumbfounded.

"Why didn't the car stop?" He asks.

"I know it seems unreliable, but I've had it since I was 20 and it's never given me a problem."

"I _mean_, we left Storybrooke."

"Oh." Emma sighs. "We're planning on coming back." She decides to play along.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see." For the next ten minutes he chats excitedly about his day so far. "Close your eyes." She says as she reads the sign for the turn. She knows Henry was paying too much attention to the other buildings to read it.

"Okay." He does so. When she parks, she tells him to open them. "Awesome!" He bolts out of the car toward the zoo entrance. Emma smiles and follows him.

"Hey, wait!" She calls, and he skids to a stop. They walk around for a little bit, marveling at all the animals. When they sit down for hotdogs, he asks,

"How long do we have?"

"Don't worry about her. She won't do anything about you, and she can't run me out of town." Emma says. Henry's been so consumed with the tigers and such that he hasn't noticed her nose until now.

"What happened to your nose?"

"Oh this." She laughs. "It's a long story, Kid."

"Does it have something to do with what happened at school today?" He asks.

"That depends." She cocks her head to the side and leans back. "How did you find out?"

"Ms. Blanchard's phone rang in the middle of class. Five times." Henry answers.

"Wow, Graham is a little excitable."

"You didn't answer my question." He says, giving her a pointed look.

"Yeah. It was my fault, though. I thought Leroy was too drunk to even walk and I let my guard down."

"I was scared. I thought something happened to you. None of the other kids picked up on how strange it was for it to go off five times." Henry loves how honest he can be with her, knowing she'll never judge. If he had said that to Regina he knows she would have told him to grow up, even if it was his adoptive mother he feared for.

"You're a special kid, Henry." Emma says. "I don't care who tells you otherwise, I am proud to call you my son."

"Regina's never said that to me." He beams at the praise, then turns serious. "Were you scared today?" As an afterthought, he adds, "Well that was a silly question. You're the savior and my mom. Of course you don't get scared." Emma smiles and ruffles his hair.

"I was scared for you." She admits. Abruptly Henry gets up and sits beside her, and then hugs her tightly. For such a little kid, Emma muses, he has a strong death grip. "But I promise I will _never_ let anything happen to you." She sniffs back tears, thankful she can hold her son on his birthday for once. She breathes in the scent of his shampoo. "This used to be my least favorite day of the year because I always wondered if you were okay. Thank you for bringing me home." She mentally curses, hoping it'll help not to cry. It occurs to her that people walking by probably think they're insane, but they can go to Hell.

"Emma?"

"Yeah, Henry?"

"I have to be back by 3:00 so she can pick me up."

"Shit." Emma mumbles, checking her phone for the time. Just under half an hour to get back to Storybrooke. "Okay. Before we leave, I have something for you." She hands him the box, wishing she'd had time to wrap it. Henry opens it and smiles.

"Thanks!" He wraps his arms around her torso again.

"I know you won't wear it, and I won't be offended. It's a heart-shaped necklace, but just to have, you know." She shrugs. "Open it up." Carefully, Henry does. His smile grows even wider.

"This has been the best birthday ever!"

"I'm glad." She says as they make their way back to the car. The drive back is silent and she texts Mary Margaret to open the back door for Henry to get in. Thankfully she sees that text and he makes it on time. Emma pulls back into the station, a goofy grin plastered on her face. When Graham sees her, he smiles.

"I take it it went well?" He hugs her.

"Yeah." She sighs. "I just wish we'd had more time. How's Astrid?"

"She got home safely. Ruby called ten minutes ago to say Leroy is back again, so we'll be picking him up before leaving for the night."

"What is he trying to do, have the world's longest hangover?"

"Maybe." Graham chuckles. "Where'd you guys go?"

"To the zoo."

"Oh?" He raises an eyebrow.

"I didn't know what to do with him." She says.

"That doesn't matter. He had fun."

"Yup." The next few hours go by slowly and it's time to go home. "Hey, I was thinking we could take separate cars cause I was going to hang out with Mary Margaret as a thank you."

"That's fine." He says.

"Don't wait up cause I'll be late."

"Okay." They get in their cars and Emma follows him. When they get there, it's no surprise that Leroy's seriously hammered.

"I'm getting stalked by the cops!" He yells.

"Shut up." Graham says, but lets Emma do the physical handling. He doesn't think he can trust himself not to punch the guy. He stands close by, though, in case he tries anything.

"Relax, Sheriff. I'm not gonna hurt your girl. Ms. Swan, I really am sorry about that. I was drunk."

"You're drunk right now." Emma points out.

"Wait, are you guys taking me back to the station?"

"Yeah, I'm thinking about setting a mailbox up for you." She says with an eye roll. "Graham, are you okay to bring him down and book him? You have the cruiser anyway."

"Absolutely." He nods, sticking Leroy in the back. He turns to Emma and plants a sweet kiss on her lips. "That's incentive to get home soon."

* * *

Mary Margaret isn't surprised when the doorknob turns and the blonde walks in. She has a grin on her face, but she still notices the discolored nose.

"Emma, what happened?"

"Hazard of the job." She replies, landing on the couch with a 'thud'.

"I wish you'd consider something a little safer." The brunette says with a sigh, breaking out the wine. "Did Dr. Whale look at it?"

"He doesn't need to. That reminds me." Emma gets up, heading for the bathroom.

"Of what?" Mary Margaret comes back out with the red liquid, setting it on the coffee table. She follows Emma's voice.

"I need to reset it before it stays like this."

"I don't think that's a good idea." She worries, looking at her roommate with concern. It does no good, as a sickening 'crack' echoes through the apartment followed by a string of curses. Emma comes back out grimacing, but visibly relaxes once her eyes find the alcohol.

"Thank God."

"Yeah, after that colorful language." Mary Margaret mutters, taking a sip. The blonde downs her glass, looking for the bottle. "No. You're driving to Graham's, remember?" Emma leans back and closes her eyes. "What's bothering you?"

"I just haven't slept good." She shrugs.

"It's more than that." The brunette says gently, placing her glass back down. "I know that look." Emma plays with the hem of her shirt for a moment before replying.

"I have horrible nightmares unless I sleep with him. He's cleared to be alone again Tuesday, and then I'll be alone again."

"No, you won't." Mary Margret says. "I'll be here."

"True." She sighs. "It's not like you can sleep with me, though."

"I can if you want." She offers. "We're friends, Emma."

"Yeah." The blonde shrugs again. "I'll be fine, though. I'm 28 years old for God's sake. If I can't handle a nightmare I am so screwed." Mary Margaret smiles sadly. A part of her almost feels as though she identifies with her, but it doesn't make sense. She's never been particularly thick skinned and while she always remembers being alone, she's never felt it on that great a scale; she thinks. Maybe she's just confusing herself, or maybe it's the wine. She decides a change of subject is in order either way.

"How's Henry?"

"He said it was the best birthday ever." Emma responds.

"And you?"

"It was the best day of my life." She says without missing a beat. "I love him. I wish I'd told him that."

"Why didn't you?" The brunette asks.

"There was too much emotion and I was getting scared." Emma laughs. They sit in silence for a few seconds before she glances at the clock. "Well, I should get back to Graham to make sure he hasn't keeled over." Mary Margaret gets up with her.

"I miss you, Emma." She says, embracing her.

"I'll be home soon." The blonde smiles before quietly closing the door behind her.

* * *

Graham finally calms down when he hears her car pull into the driveway. It's only 9:30 but he hasn't been able to sit still knowing she was out there.

"I told you not to wait up for me." She says.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Hey, look, I'm gonna sleep in the guest bed tonight. It's no offense to you, but I need to get over whatever happened because I leave Tuesday." She hangs her coat up and unties her boots.

"What's wrong with living with me?" Graham frowns.

"Nothing. I don't want to move too fast, you know?" She replies. "Go to bed. I'm gonna be a little while anyway." Graham yawns and she smiles. "Seriously."

"Okay." He kisses her. "Tomorrow's Saturday and we can do whatever you want."

"Goodnight, Graham."

"Night, Princess."

Emma dreads sleeping. She stalls as long as she can but eventually finds herself in guest room. She hasn't slept with her baby blanket since she arrived in Storybrooke, but tonight she needs it. As she lies on the bed, looking at the ceiling, she can't help but think about how pathetic she's being. If this was about four months ago she'd scoff at the idea of relying on anyone, let alone to sleep. When her eyelids begin to drag down, she sighs in content as Henry, Mary Margaret, and Graham's voices float through her head, each in their own way telling her they love her.


	9. Chapter 9

**THIS CHAPTER IS IN MEMORY OF A VERY BRAVE GIRL NAMED EMMA (I WON'T WRITE HER LAST NAME FOR PRIVACY REASONS, AND YES, I MADE THE CONNECTION TO ONCE UPON A TIME). SHE DIED TODAY AND WAS ONLY A CHILD. SHE WAS FROM MY TOWN AND SHE WILL BE MISSED. NOW ON TO THE USUAL: REVIEWS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANKS FOR READING! JUST AS A WARNING, THERE'S A MINOR, NON-GRAPHIC SEX SCENE NEAR THE END OF THE CHAPTER.**

**DON'T OWN IT.**

When Emma wakes up, the first thing she smells is coffee. Taking that as a good sign, she pads down the stairs to find Graham sitting at the table, reading the newspaper.

"Good morning." She chirps, pouring herself a cup.

"I missed you last night." He gets up and wraps his arms around her. "You seem to have slept good."

"I did." Emma smiles. "What do you want to do today?"

"Well," He starts, "David texted me this morning about a cat that just had kittens. I was going adopt one of them."

"Seriously?" She raises an eyebrow. "You seem more like a dog person."

"Me too." Graham shrugs. "But they're so cute. I saw the mom before the heart attack."

"What does she look like?" She leans against the table.

"Black and white. We don't know who the dad is, so the litter's interesting. Please come?"

"Alright." Emma sighs. "Give me half an hour to eat and I'll be ready."

"Thank you!" The brunette hugs her ferociously before placing a tender kiss to the lips. "I love you so much."

* * *

Half an hour later they're gazing into a fenced-in play area at the five kittens plus the mother.

"There's four boys." David explains, smiling fondly at the little fur balls. Two of the males look almost identical, just like their mother. The other two have orange hair, while the girl is a chocolate color. "They all need good homes, so take your pick."

"They're so cute!" Graham coos. "I have to say, this one catches my eye." He picks up a black and white one. It fits in the palm of his hand. It purrs and nestles into him. "You like me, too. What should I name you?" He's talking in such a ridiculously high voice Emma can't help but scoff.

"It's a cat, not a baby."

"Would you like one, Deputy?" David asks.

"Me? God no." The brown one gets up on unsteady legs and somehow manages to make it over to her.

"That's the first one to walk!" He exclaims excitedly, as if it's his own kid taking its first steps in the world. "You might be the littlest, but you sure are the smartest."

"Emma come on, just hold her." Graham insists, gently petting his. David picks her up and hands her to the blonde, who reluctantly pulls it close.

"Is it gonna rip my jacket?" The kitten stares up with her at bright blue eyes and meows.

"Mittens." The brunette decides. "Your name is Mittens."

"Isn't that the most popular cat name?" She asks.

"So?" Graham defends. "It's perfect for him, right Mittens?" He meows a response. "If you take her home she and Mittens can be friends."

"They don't have friends." She says.

"Please, Emma?" He whines, giving her a puppy dog face. She glares at him; he knows exactly what he's doing.

"Oh, alright." The blonde relents. They sign the necessary forms and get back in the car. "Not cool, Graham."

"What's her name?" He ignores her for now.

"Missy." Emma says nonchalantly. It's just a cat, she doesn't know what he's making such a big deal about.

"Missy and Mittens! You're a genius, Emma!" He beams, and she groans.

"I really didn't think that through." Her cell goes off, and she smiles at the caller ID. "Hey, Mary Margaret."

"Wanna help me grade some essays?"

"Uh, sure. Graham will drop me off in a minute, okay?"

"You're a life-saver, Emma. Bye."

"Where are you going?" Graham asks.

"Helping Mary Margaret." She replies. "Can you drop me off at the apartment?"

"Yeah." He says, hiding a frown. Normally he'd be upset, but this gave him time to set up a romantic evening for them. He pulls into the driveway. "See ya!" He pecks her lips.

"Bye." Missy in tow, Emma heads up the stairs to their apartment. The door's unlocked and Mary Margaret smiles warmly, then notices the brown ball of fur.

"Is that a… kitten?" She asks.

"Graham guilted me into it." Emma explains. "Her name is Missy. If she's a problem, when I come back Tuesday, I can just leave her with Graham. This was more for him."

"It's fine, Emma." The brunette smirks. "Your secret's safe with me."

"What secret?" She puts Missy down.

"That little furry things melt your heart." She says, handing her a plate of cookies.

"Actually, it's Graham's puppy dog face but… wait, why'd you… how much stuff did you make?" She glances around the apartment.

"I've had a lot of time on my hands." Mary Margaret explains. "_A lot_."

"Okay then. Where's the papers?" Emma asks.

"I finished all but one; it's Henry's."

"What's it on?" She takes a seat on the couch.

"Well, as part of the curriculum, the children have to write an essay on their family." She explains. "I thought you should be the first to read it."

"Thanks." Emma says, picking it up. She begins reading it. It's written pretty well for a ten year old, she decides. He doesn't mention Regina, other than the fact that he's adopted. He has nothing but good things to say about his biological mother, and the same goes for his grandparents –Snow and James. Once she's done, she puts it down. "Give him an A+ for creativity."

"He mentioned the fairytale thing, didn't he?" Mary Margaret does her best to hide a groan. She really shouldn't have given him that book.

"Yup." Emma leans back, blowing hair out of her face. "He's a good writer, though."

"Do you mind if I read it?"

"You're his teacher, knock yourself out." Missy meows from her spot on the floor. "Do you think she's hungry?" She asks, and Mary Margaret thinks it was best that Regina raised Henry thus far.

"Give her some milk." She suggests, writing something in red pen on the boy's essay.

"Okay." Emma pushes herself off the couch with a sigh.

"Did Graham get one?"

"Yeah, he named him Mittens."

"That's so adorable!" The brunette exclaims. Emma puts the bowl of milk on the floor and moves Missy next to it.

"Will she just start drinking it like a dog?"

"No." Mary Margaret says exasperatedly. "Get the syringe and gently push it in her mouth."

"She's _so_ much work." The blonde fumbles around in the draws till she finds a turkey stuffer. By the time Mary Margaret's read the essay four times, Emma's still trying to get Missy to eat. The teacher walks over with a smirk, a hand on her hip.

"Having trouble?"

"The stupid cat isn't drinking!"

"Let me see." Mary Margaret takes Missy and gets her to drink some. "See, Emma, just be gentle. You try again." She sits next to the blonde, handing the fur ball over. After a few more failed attempts, she takes Emma's hands and helps to guide her. "She's just like a baby. Be patient." A few minutes later the milk's all gone and Missy's sleeping on Emma's lap.

"I should probably get her to Graham's." She says. "Thanks for letting me read Henry's essay." She smiles at Mary Margaret. "I'll be home in a few days."

"Don't forget the cookies." Realizing the blonde's hands are full, she offers, "I'll walk down with you." They put the cookies in the back seat and Missy on the front next to Emma. The blonde starts driving to her boyfriend's, only now realizing just how much time has passed. The sky is taking on a peachy color. With Mary Margaret, time flies. When she walks in, she gasps, nearly dropping Missy. At the table are two lit candles. Rose petals litter the floor and the lights are dimmed. Music is on, but softly. A wonderful smell emanates from the kitchen.

"Graham?" She asks when her voice finally works, looking around. Mittens lays in front of the stairs and Missy sees him and meows. Silently, Emma puts her down. The kitten scoots over to her brother.

"Hey." He smiles, bringing a plate of chicken to the table. "Perfect timing." He wraps his arms around her, peppering kisses down her neck. "I see Mary Margaret made cookies."

"Yeah." Emma giggles. Mentally, she slaps herself. She doesn't do mushy and she doesn't giggle. This man is going to be the death of her.

"So, Princess, guess what Dr. Whale cleared me for?" Graham purrs. She grins her response. "If you want to, I mean. We don't have to."

"Stop being so concerned. It's adorable and sweet, but when I want to have sex, I want to have sex."

"I can definitely make that happen." He smiles. The blonde leans into his embrace.

"I think this is the happiest I've ever been."

"Oh?"

"I love you so much and I get to see you every day and… I can see us growing old together. My son may be living with a psycho woman but he's in my life. I have purpose now."

"I'm glad. Did you feed Missy yet?"

"Mary Margaret did." Emma mumbles.

"Mittens just finished so… I made chicken."

"I smelled it." She pulls back and shrugs off her coat before sitting down. "I didn't know you could cook this well."

"It's a premade chicken from Granny's, but I put it in the oven." He smiles. They eat. When they're done, Emma looks at him with lust-filled eyes.

"Let's have sex."

"It's hard to say 'no' to that." He gets up. This time, it's her leading them up to the bedroom. As she unbuckles his belt, he puts a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure? I want this to be the most beautiful thing you've ever had."

"Graham, I haven't gotten laid in almost three months." She resumes her task, more insistent. "It doesn't have to be rough the first time."

"I don't want it to be." He pulls her shirt off, careful not to rip it. Once all the clothes have been shed, they kiss and fall onto the bed. He touches her everywhere, and Emma closes her eyes, relishing in his gentle hands. She feels him harden against her, and she opens her eyes.

"Screw the foreplay." She says. Slowly, he enters her. He stops half way in, making her moan.

"I love you."

"Stop talking and finish." Emma digs her fingernails into his shoulder, arching into him. Graham does as told. On the verge of coming, it finally occurs to him to ask her something.

"Are you on the pill?"

"You ask me that now?" She rolls her eyes, using his shoulder to muffle a yelp of pleasure. "Yes." Upon hearing that, he feels himself let go.


	10. Chapter 10

**I DON'T MEAN TO SOUND LIKE A JERK OR ANYTHING, BUT REVIEWS WOULD BE WONDERFUL. I KNOW I'M TAKING THIS STORY UP UNTIL "HAT TRICK" AT THE LEAST. KNOWING PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED WILL GET ME REALLY THINKING ABOUT A POSSIBLE PLOTLINE AFTER. I'M NOT ASKING FOR A PARAGRAPH OF A REVIEW, JUST A LITTLE, 'YOU SHOULD (OR SHOULDN'T CONTINUE)'. ALSO, GIVING ME SOME IDEAS WOULD ALSO BE HELPFUL. THAT SAID, ENJOY THIS CHAPTER!**

**DON'T OWN IT.**

Emma smiles when she wakes up. Graham is still sleeping soundly next to her, his arms wrapped around her protectively. She simply lays there, wanting nothing more than to feel his body hugged up against her until they are old. She has to bite back a groan when one of the cats meows. Carefully, she untangles herself from him and picks up Missy, who's looking at her with wide, curious eyes. Emma can't help but grin a little at the cat. As quietly as possible, she heads to the kitchen to warm some milk while finding a turkey stuffer. Locating it isn't as hard as she'd imagined; she and Graham have very similar ideas of organization. Muttering something to herself about Missy's inability to drink out of a bowl, she pours some milk into a cup and heats it up. After it's done, she sits on the floor with the kitten and slowly puts the turkey stuffer into Missy's mouth. When she turns her head away, the blonde rolls her eyes.

"Come on, you did it for Mary Margaret. What am I doing wrong?" Finally, the kitten allows herself to be fed. "Good job." From the doorway, Graham smiles fondly. He taps his foot quietly to get the blonde's attention, so as not to startle her and accidentally kill the cat. He holds Mittens.

"See, you _can_ be nurturing when you try." He sits next to her. "Maybe today we can get two bottles for them. It might be a little easier than this." He gestures around.

"She's finicky." Emma says, grinning. "Good morning."

"It is indeed." He leans over and kisses her, careful not to squish Missy. "You were up before me."

"Yeah." She says slowly, having no clue where this is going. Obviously it's an occurrence neither would've that would happen, but he's making it like she decided to give Regina a hug at 4:00 in the morning.

"What woke you up?"

"Uh… me. I was laying there quite comfy but _somebody_ decided they needed to eat so I had to get up." The blonde explains.

"And it's 8:30. Once you're done with Missy I'll feed Mittens and we can go for a run." He says.

"Are you allowed to?"

"Yes, Princess." Graham smirks.

"Who's going to watch the cats?" She hands the turkey stuffer to him. Missy purrs on her lap.

"While you were at Mary Margaret's last night I got some stuff. It's in the closet over there, you can get it." He points to the brown door at the end of the hall. She gets up with a sigh and opens it, then laughs.

"A stroller, Graham? Seriously?" Emma rolls it over to him. It's green and yellow. "They're not babies. I think we can leave them for an hour."

"They're baby cats, actually." He corrects.

"We'll look ridiculous." She huffs. "If you want to push cats around in a stroller, you can knock yourself out playing Mr. Mom. I have absolutely no interest in it."

"Come on, Emma. Mittens is done eating. If we get dressed and go now we'll beat the morning rush."

"Graham." The blonde puts her hand on his shoulder. "_They're kittens_. Yes, they can be considered babies, but we just fed them and we'll leave some water out. They'll be fine."

"Yeah." He sighs. "Sorry, I guess I'm just a little excited. I've never had a pet before and I can hardly keep a plant alive. Now that I think about it, the stroller _was _a little over kill."

"Just a little." Emma smiles. "You get their water and I'll put them in the bed and change."

"Okay." He hands Mittens off to her and begins filling the bowl with water. When he arrives in the bedroom with it for the kittens, he has to admit he's a little disappointed that she gets dressed fast.

"I was going to make you breakfast, but the cat demanded attention, and I didn't want the smoke alarms to wake you up." She shrugs. "We can run to Granny's and eat, then come back."

"Sounds like a plan." Graham smiles.

"Great, I'll see you downstairs." She says. Five minutes later, they're heading to the diner in a light jog. "Don't let your heart rate get too high. I don't want you to have another heart attack."

"I promise." He says firmly. "And if your ankle bothers you, we need to stop."

"Relax." Emma draws out the word, almost in a sing-song voice.

"I am. I love running. It gives me a sense of freedom I haven't had in a very long time, like I've finally escaped Regina's clutches." He explains as they round a corner. He speaks the truth, but the means of freedom is also taxing. He hadn't been allowed the luxury of running in more than 28 years, and he realizes how out of shape he is. Of course, he doesn't know it's because of a curse, but he does feel the exertion.

"You never have to go back to that." She says.

"I don't want to." Graham beams at her. They run in silence for a few more minutes, the only sound being their footfalls and breathing. As they get closer to the center of town, a dog barks from the other side of the street. They wave to Archie. Graham thanks whichever God is listening when they see the diner.

"Almost there." Emma says. Reaching the door, they stop, taking a few moments to catch their breath. They go inside, met with a bouncy Ruby.

"Good morning!" She chirps.

"Hey." The blonde manages to get out. When they sit down, Graham has to bite back a string of curses.

"That was…wow…really…long…something…shorter…next…time."

"Yeah, but you made it! On Wednesday, it'll be easier." Emma squeezes his hand. Ruby sets water down in front of them.

"Wednesday?" He gives her an incredulous look. "That's in three days."

"If you didn't have a heart attack a month ago you'd be doing that every day." She takes a gulp of her water. "Drink or you'll end up dehydrated."

"Emma…" He groans, but does as told. "Can't we like, I don't know, do something shorter?"

"Nope. You did it once, so you can do it again." He groans again, and she almost laughs. He can be so dramatic at times. "Of course, that's only if you want to. If you don't, then that's fine."

"I want to it's just, it's a lot of work."

"That's life for you. When can we get the cats fixed?"

"You don't want them to find cat love and have kittens? Obviously not with each other, but… I'm sure David will be getting another pregnant cat soon." He asks.

"I'm not a cat breeder, and neither are you. We'd just end up having to give them away, and… I'm not doing that to Missy." Emma replies, lowering her voice at the end. Graham nods in understanding.

"Okay."

"Wait a second." She eyes him curiously. "You're not trying to have them be us in a way, are you?"

"Of course not!" He doesn't think he is, but it could be his subconscious. "I mean… do you find that adorable?"

"I hate it when guys do that. Don't say something to keep me happy. Tell me what you're really thinking and I won't care. I don't love you for your charmingness, I love you because you're sweet and caring. Of course, the whole 'eye candy' thing doesn't hurt."

"On that note, I was thinking we could go to the beach."

"It's freezing." She says.

"Not to swim. Just to hang out. Maybe look at the stars."

"That would be nice." A walk on the beach has always been her favorite date. Emma's not high maintenance.

"I'm already excited."

"What can I get for you guys?" Ruby asks, giving them a knowing smile. The woman is more concerned with other people's relationships than her own, at least, emotionally. The physical aspect is a whole other story.

"Coffee and an omelet." Emma answers.

"The same." Graham says.

"Be right back." The brunette goes back to the counter and puts the notebook on it before sitting next to Dr. Whale.

"When can they eat cat food?"

"Another couple days." He shrugs. "I'd say Wednesday."

"You planned that heart attack, didn't you?" She leans forward, scrutinizing him and invading his personal space in the way he finds so sexy. "You wanted to take our relationship higher but you knew it'd take a while so you thought that would help." The way her lips are turned slightly upwards tells him that she's joking. He plays along for fun.

"I confess. Are you going to arrest me?"

"I should for scaring the crap out of me." She sighs. "I can't believe tomorrow's our last full day together."

"It doesn't have to be." He returns to being serious.

"I don't want to move too fast." She says, grateful for the interruption Ruby supplies by bringing their food to them. "Thanks." The stars seem to align when Henry's head comes into view. He immediately spots them and runs over.

"Hey, Emma!"

"Henry, where's Regina?"

"There's an emergency meeting about that storm that's making landfall in a couple days and she had to go." He grabs a nearby fork and takes a bite of his mother's omelet.

"That's… good. Guess what?"

"What?"

"I got a cat."

"Cool! What's its name?" Henry beams. Graham smiles fondly at the two. He's often considered the boy his own at times. Now that he's dating his mother, or rather, used to date one and is currently dating the other, he can't help but wonder if he and Emma are meant to be.

"Her name is Missy. Graham has her brother, Mittens."

"Can I see them?"

"We have to go back to my house anyway before we go to the station, I'm sure you can come with us." Graham is quick to answer.

"We're running, though." Emma points out. "Did you take your bike?"

"I'll be able to keep up." Henry says, full of confidence. The blonde doesn't have any doubts that the kid will be able to; after all, it _is_ his primary mode of transportation.

"Please come. Your mother is trying to kill me."

"You're the one who wanted to go for a run!" She insists, throwing her hands up in frustration. "And actually, I'm trying to keep you alive." Henry laughs. They finish eating so they can get Henry back to his house before Regina finds out. Graham's pretty sure he's going to pass out when they turn onto his street.

"Can't you guys go any faster?" Henry whines.

"You s-" Emma's about to say step father for some reason before catching herself. "Your sheriff is the one going slow. We're almost there, Graham."

"Can't…talk…and…run…" He gasps, mentally swearing. He thought having Henry there would force them to go slower, but it's obviously had the opposite.

"Emma, can we race?" Henry's never raced anyone before. Apparently his school didn't think it was nice to compete against your peers, and he couldn't remember Regina not wearing stilettoes.

"Sure, Kid, why not." They pull ahead of Graham so as not to accidentally stampede him. "You know which one's his?"

"The brown one."

"Yup."

"Go!" Graham yells. He knows he's not going to win, but two blocks isn't that far and he decides the farther he pushes himself, the easier it'll be. They skid to a halt on his lawn and all collapse. For a moment, he sees Emma panic.

"Graham! Are you okay?"

"Relax." He almost laughs. "I'm not having a heart attack." Crisis averted, Henry smiles triumphantly, his bike on its side next to him.

"I won."

"Don't gloat." The blonde gasps good-naturedly. "Alright, let's see the cats and get you home. We'll give you a ride in the cruiser, if you want."

"You guys have to work on Sunday?"

"Crime never rests." Graham says, pushing himself off the ground. He pulls the other two up. Once inside, he hands the boy a water bottle. "You wanna get them, Em?"

"Sure. I guess you should start packing their things." She disappears up the stairs, into Graham's room, and comes back down. "This one," She hands the brown one to Henry, "is Missy. She's mine."

"She's so cute!" Henry says excitedly.

"Shh." Graham places a finger on his lips. "Remember, they're babies."

"Oh yeah." He points to Mittens. "Is he Mittens?"

"Mhm." Emma takes Missy back and places the other one in her son's arms. "You have their milk and the turkey stuffer?"

"Yes, and the water as well as the litter box." He says.

"I wish Regina would let me get one." Henry looks down at Mittens sadly. "She won't let me get a hamster, either." At this, Emma fumes. All the kid wants is someone to love him unconditionally.

"Maybe she will when you're older." Graham says helpfully, sensing Emma's loss for words.

"Maybe." He shrugs. "But I can visit these guys in the meantime."

"You're absolutely right." Graham sits down next to him and strokes Mittens. "He likes you. Hey, how would you like to cat sit tonight?"

"Really!?" This time, Henry whispers.

"You can stay here with them and teach them to walk. Well, Missy's kind of got the hang of it, but Mittens could use some help."

"You're the best." Henry envelopes the man in a bone-crushing hug, careful not to squash Mittens. The exchange is enough to bring tears to Emma's eyes, so she excuses herself, muttering something about looking for a turtleneck. Henry's oblivious, too immersed in his excitement to notice his mother's distress. Graham does, and makes a mental note to check on her after they drop Henry off.

"How about we get you back to your house in case Regina comes back early?" He asks.

"Okay." The boy sighs. "But I can just bike back. It's a nice day."

"You sure?"

"Yup." Henry puts Mittens on the floor and stands up. "Where'd Emma go?"

"I think she's in the bathroom. I'll tell her you said bye." Graham answers. He hates lying to the kid, but he doesn't want to upset Henry by telling him she's upset.

"By, Emma!" He yells anyway.

"See you later!" Her hoarse voice floats through the house. With a smile at Graham, Henry leaves. The sheriff heads up the stairs to the guest room, finding his girlfriend's room a little overturned and a pillow in her hand.

"Em?" He asks gently, carefully stepping around the comforter that's on the floor. "It looks like a tornado went through here. You okay?"

"I tried to throw only soft things so I wouldn't make too much noise." She says in monotone. "I'll pick it up."

"I couldn't care less about the state of the room. I care about how you're feeling." He sits on the bed, motioning for her to do the same.

"I wish you were Henry's dad. You're so good with him."

"Thanks." Graham smiles sadly. "Just out of curiosity, who _is_ his father?" She sighs and finally stops pacing to sit down.

"It's easier if I tell the whole story."

"We have all the time in the world." He takes her hand. "If you want to tell it."

"I've never told anyone this before." She says, then continues slowly. "I was 17 when I met him. I had just become an emancipated minor and he seemed like a nice guy who wanted to help. He was 18. I um, I trusted him. Graham, he _was_ nice in the beginning. I don't know what happened, but after five months he started saying things I didn't like. He'd put me down. It didn't seem like a big deal because it was only verbal, and he was nice in every other way." Emma swallows, steeling herself. She forces herself to continue. "After a month of that he came home drunk one night. I don't even remember what he was mad about, it was so stupid, but I know it had nothing to do with me. I was just _there_. He… hit me. He knew I had been abused in the foster system, so I couldn't figure out why he would do that to me. Suddenly, I realized all the things he had said to me led up to that. I told him we were over. I went up to get my stuff –I had been living with him– and he grabbed my arm. He said that I didn't decide things, that I was out of control and needed to be put in my place. I told him to go to Hell, but that only added fuel to the fire. I think you can put two and two together… that's how I ended up with Henry. I ended up almost killing him, I guess. A broken nose, two cracked ribs, a fractured kneecap, and a stab wound to the abdomen. It was completely self-defense, but the court didn't see it that way. Apparently the knee thing would have been enough to incapacitate him. I was thrown in jail for a year. Three months before I got out I had Henry. Fast forward ten years, and here we are."

"Emma…" Graham doesn't even know what to say. He can feel himself shake with anger, but knows he has to reign himself in. He doesn't want to frighten her. "I'm gonna be honest with you here, I'm speechless. I want to hug you and kill that bastard. Because of him, you didn't even have a choice in giving Henry up, did you?"

"The prison ward said I would've been able to get custody if I chose to keep him because they'd have let me out three months early because I cooperated. I obviously chose not to. I couldn't have given him a good life." She says, her voice strained. If Graham can't kill the man, he can hug her. He does.

"We'll get him back, I promise." He whispers, placing a kiss on her head.

"We should change and go to work." Emma says.

"Okay." He agrees. The day passes slowly. Leroy has obviously taken Graham's threat to heart and laid low. Henry comes in at one point and Graham excuses himself to go on a donut and coffee run. When he comes back Emma seems troubled so he coaxes her into talking again. She speaks vaguely and her thoughts jump around, but he deduces that her son asked about his father and she'd had to lie. He sighs; the kid has impeccable timing. At the end of the day she asks to be dropped off at Mary Margaret's to get ready for their date. He knows it's to relax with a glass of wine and to talk freely about the day's events, but he chooses not to comment. Graham doesn't take it personally; he understands that she's fearful of scaring him off because she's damaged goods. Tonight he wants to make it clear that while he hates the pain she's had to go through, the emotional baggage is what makes her who she is and he loves her for it. He kisses her goodbye outside of the teacher's apartment and swings by to grab Henry to watch the kittens. He puts the plate of cookies Mary Margaret made in front of him once they're at his house.

"Thanks for watching Mittens and Missy." He smiles.

"No problem!" Henry beams.

"Can I talk to you for a sec?" Graham sits opposite of the boy.

"Sure."

"Are you okay with me dating Emma?" He asks. "I know I should've asked you sooner, but things have been really crazy."

"That's _totally_ fine. You can do whatever you want with my mom, as long as you don't hurt her." As an afterthought, he adds, "I mean Emma, not Regina."

"I know you do." Graham smiles.

"I'm only letting you cause I like you." Henry says with such seriousness that Graham laughs. "What?" The boy gives him a look he's seen on Emma so many times.

"You really care about her." Is all he can say.

"I love her. But don't tell her I called her 'mom'. I don't want to freak her out. Or do you think she'd like it?"

"You're a very thoughtful boy, Henry." Graham pops a cookie into his mouth.

"You didn't answer my question."

"I think…" He says slowly, considering his wording. "That Emma has a lot on her plate right now and needs time to sort things through. She went from not caring about anything or anyone to loving three people in a matter of a few weeks. This is all very new to her. So I think that calling her 'mom' right now might push her over the edge."

"Is she okay?" Henry asks, eyes full of concern. Graham can't lie to that face. He also knows the real question.

"She's always five seconds away from crying her punching something, but she's not going to run. I promise."

"I wish I could live with you guys." He abruptly gets up and hugs the sheriff. Graham wants to tell him that Emma's working on it, but he doesn't want to overstep boundaries or get the boy's hopes up. So he simply says,

"Me too."

* * *

He smiles at Emma as she opens the passenger door. They're both bundled up like eskimos.

"Hey." He says.

"Hey, yourself." She smiles back.

"So Henry knows where everything is." Graham pulls out onto the street. "He also has your number and mine in case something happens."

"Is Regina going to drag him out of there, leaving them unattended?"

"I already told her he was cat sitting."

"And she let him?" Emma laughs.

"Well, it wasn't without a power point presentation about why I need him to watch them, but it still went in our favor." He jokes, and they both laugh. "But let's not think about her. Tonight is about us."

"Yeah." Emma nods in agreement.

"I brought dinner in here." He points to the basket in the back seat. "And a blanket so her royal highness doesn't complain about getting sand all over her." The blonde sticks her tongue out at him in response. They arrive at the beach, and somehow manage to spread the blanket out even with the wind whipping sand at them. "I hope you're okay with peanut butter and jelly." He hands her a bag. "I didn't know what else to make."

"That's fine." She laughs. "The stars are pretty." She looks up at the black sky filled with thousands of tiny dots. It still amazes her at how many there are. She's only lived in big cities, and there aren't many visible there. In Storybrooke, it's a whole different story.

"Just like you." He smiles goofily.

"You're so sappy." She says. "But I like it when you do it."

"Why, thank you." Graham attempts to bow while sitting.

"How's your incision?"

"It's good." He replies. "It didn't even hurt last night."

"And here I was thinking I could be acting sheriff for a while. Way to foil my plan to overthrow Regina and get Henry back." Emma smiles playfully.

"Yeah, starting tomorrow I'm back to being sheriff. I'll still help you, you know. I love that kid. Hey, what did you tell him about his father?"

"That he was firefighter who died and was a great person and he liked pumpkin pie." She says quickly.

"That… is interesting."

"You know what I realized?" She asks, deciding a change of subject is in order. "I don't know anything about you."

"Well, uh…" The statement takes him by surprise and he fumbles for a response. "There's not much to tell."

"How'd you end up in Storybrooke?"

"I don't really remember. Small town charm, I guess." Graham shrugs. "Donuts?" He opens a giant box from Granny's. She eyes him in a playful way while taking one.

"If we keep changing the subject, how will we ever talk?"

"Maybe we don't have to." He scoots closer and pulls her in for a kiss. She forgets about her donut for the moment.

"Or _maybe_ we should get back to the house first so that we don't freeze to death." Emma suggests.

"Fine." He pouts. They pack up their stuff and go to his house. When they walk in, Henry's rolling a small ball for Mittens and Missy to play with. "They're walking really well, Henry."

"They're so smart!" The boy declares. His phone beeps. "Regina wants me to go home."

"Was she following us?" Emma asks, grabbing his phone without asking. She huffs in annoyance when she doesn't read anything useful in the text. "How come it doesn't surprise me that she uses correct English even in texting?"

"She's probably say _proper_, but…" Graham shrugs. "Let's get you home."

"Bye Mittens, bye Missy!" Henry kisses their heads before reluctantly following the only law enforcement officers in the town to the car. "Did you guys have fun?" He asks on the way back.

"Yeah." Emma says. Graham nods in agreement.

"That's good." They pull up to his house and he waves goodbye. Abruptly, Emma gets out of the passenger seat and slams the door, following him in. With a sigh, Graham follows because there might be an altercation he'll have to break up. Even with the front door closed (because the blonde slammed that one shut, too), he can still hear angry yells, mostly from Emma. He opens it and gingerly closes it, standing to the side next to Henry to shield in case anything gets thrown because the women are in that kind of a mood.

"Are you stalking us?" Emma asks.

"Miss Swan, now really isn't the time to be making false accusations. It's a school night and my son needs to go to bed. He's already been up past his bedtime because you and the Sheriff decided to go out." Regina says coolly. "Henry, go brush your teeth." Obediently, the boy does as told.

"You said that you have eyes all over the town, and the second Graham and I get home you tell him to leave. You always show up when we're about to go somewhere." She continues.

"Do you not think I don't know about that little stunt you pulled on Henry's birthday? You kidnapped him and I should have you arrested."

"Oh my _God_, Regina! I didn't kidnap him! I took him out for his birthday for God's sake! I brought him back! I had no intention of leaving for good." Emma yells. Graham begins to wonder how long it'll be before the neighbors call his cell phone. "And you know why I did that? Because _you_ were in meetings all day! You want to be his mother so bad but all you do is neglect him!"

"Miss Swan, that's enough!" Regina raises her hand to slap the deputy but lowers it when Emma smirks.

"If you hit me, which you already have, I can't help but wonder if you ever get that mad at Henry. I'm sure the Sheriff will have to make sure everything's alright, especially since Henry's already expressed his dislike for living with you. Have a good night." Graham opens the door for Emma and they walk out. He's careful not to break it. They're silent as Graham drives. They don't get farther than a quarter of a mile before they notice a small figure on the side of the road. With a groan from Emma, he stops. It doesn't take much guesswork to know who it is.

"Henry, shouldn't you be in bed?" Graham asks gently.

"I didn't get to give Emma this." He pulls out a box and hands it to her. "It was pumpkin, right?"

"Um…" The blonde gets out, intending to scold her son, then realizes what he's doing. "Yeah, yeah it was. Thanks."

"Good."

"Henry, you can't keep sneaking out. Was it the window this time?" Graham bends down to his level.

"Yeah." The boy answers sheepishly.

"Can you stop doing that, please?

"I hate her! I don't want to be with her."

"I know you don't." Emma says. "I-I'm trying to get you out of there, okay? Just… look, you need to go home. We'll talk more tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay." Clearly Henry isn't happy about having to go home, but knowing his mother is trying to get him back gives him some hope. He smiles and starts walking. Emma leans on Graham with a sigh. In the distance, they see headlights coming towards them and the low rumbling of an engine. The motorcycle stops in front of them.

"Is there a hotel here?" A mysterious man asks.

"Granny's is a few blocks that way." Emma points in the direction.

"Thank you." The man replies.

"I didn't catch your name!" Graham calls.

"That's cause I didn't give it." He drives off.

"Cheeky…" Emma shakes her head. "Thanks for tonight, Graham. I'm not just saying this to say it: it was the best date ever."

"Let's go home and see if we can make it even better." He smiles.

**THANKS FOR READING!**


	11. Chapter 11

**OKAY GUYS, SO THIS STORY WILL BE WINDING DOWN. I'M NOT SURE HOW MANY MORE CHAPTERS IT WILL TAKE TO GET TO THE END, BUT IT'LL PRESUMABLY BE AT 1x22: "A LAND WITHOUT MAGIC". JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU GUYS A HEADS UP. ALSO, THIS ONE SKIPS AHEAD TO "TRUE NORTH".**

**DON'T OWN IT.**

They enter the house again, stumbling through the door. As they make their way to the bedroom, clothes are being shed, leaving a trail behind them. The next part is a blur. It's wild and crazy, as Emma will remember in the morning, but also extremely beautiful. She's glad that Graham decided that being careful the second time isn't a necessity. At 6:00, a shrill noise wakes them both up. He turns the alarm clock off.

"Time to go to work." He chirps, standing up. "I'll make breakfast while you use the bathroom."

"I left poptarts on the counter, we can just have a package of those." The blonde says, rubbing her eyes groggily. He silently agrees. By the time they get in the car, Graham's phone is already ringing.

"Hello?"

"Some kids tried to rob me. One of them was Henry."

"Oh my God." Graham says before he can even think to not be biased about the situation. "Did you call her yet?" He doesn't have to say who.

"I thought you could tell Sheriff Swan first… and once you're here I will."

"Alright. We'll be right over." He hangs up. "Em?"

"Mhm?" She looks at him, making some strange noise of acknowledgment through her poptart-filled mouth.

"Henry's fine, but uh, he allegedly tried to steal something." Graham replies quickly, his tone making it perfectly clear he believes her son's innocent.

"What!?" Emma practically turns her whole body toward him, alarmed. "He wouldn't do that."

"I know he didn't. I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding." He says. They sit in silence for a few more minutes before he pulls into the store's parking lot. "Remember, be professional, okay? It's the best way you can help Henry."

"Yup." Her words contradict her actions. She gets out and slams the door, then angrily yanks open the store door.

"It's gonna be one of those days." He sighs and follows her in.

"Henry, what happened?" Emma bends down to his level.

"I swear I didn't do anything! Ava and Nicholas put it in my backpack." The boy explains frantically. Her eyes dart over to the siblings, who look down at their feet.

"Is that true?"

"Y-yes." Ava stammers. "Henry didn't have anything to do with it."

"That's great and all, but we still need to let Regina know. She'll find out anyway." Graham pulls out his phone, his eyes carefully trained on the screen to avoid seeing his girlfriend's face. "Emma, I have to do this. It's the law."

"I'll just uh, be outside taking the kids' statements. Let's go." She ushers them out, her arm protectively falling across her son's shoulder. Her voice had lost its usual edge, softening into one of sadness. "Why'd you guys do that?"

"Our parents sent us." Ava answers a little too confidently. The blonde picks up on it.

"I have a superpower." She says. "I can tell when anyone's lying."

"We're not." The girl says. Emma's starting to like her a lot.

"Alright. Well, I better get you home."

"Can we walk?"

"Nope." Reluctantly, they hop in the back. Emma turns to Henry. "Wait with Graham." She hops in the driver's seat and turns when the kids tell her to. When they ask her to simply drop them off because their parents will be embarrassed, she sends a text to Graham. She finds another way into the abandoned house and almost give the kids a heart attack. She once again loads them into the cruiser and picks up Graham, then they head to the station. Regina comes in to inform them that she'll be bringing them to Boston to be put into the foster system. The blonde tells Graham to watch the kids before locking herself in the bathroom for a good ten minutes. He puts them in an interview room. "We have to find their father." She says when she comes out. He nods in agreement.

"We will." He says reassuringly. "I'd promise you, but I don't want to make a promise I can't keep."

"That means more to me than you making an empty promise." She smiles a little.

"What a wonderful way to spend our last day of you living with me." Graham blows out a breath.

"Hey." She says softly, reaching her hand out and putting it on his knee. "We're not breaking up. Maybe someday I _will_ be living with you again, permanently." He knows how much it took for her to say that.

"I hope so." The he leans over and kisses her. "I checked their records. I can't find their parents."

"Ava was wearing a compass she says her father gave her. Maybe Mr. Gold will have a record of it if he bought it there." Emma says, and gets up to grab her jacket.

"Want me to go with you?"

"No. Stay here with them." Graham does as told and brings the deck of Uno cards he swept from Mary Margaret into the interview room.

"You guys wanna play?"

* * *

Half an hour later he hears the door to the station slam and excuses himself. He pulls Emma into a hug.

"What happened?"

"He doesn't want them." She replies, her voice angry but quiet. She doesn't want to upset Ava and Nicholas. "That son-of-a-bitch would rather sentence them to years of Hell than take responsibility."

"I'm so sorry." Graham whispers and strokes her hair.

"We can't tell Regina, not yet."

"Em, we have to." He pulls back to look her in the eye, to show her that he really doesn't want to but has no other choice.

"Just give me until 8:00."

"Okay." He trusts her enough not to push the issue. "What do we do with them until then?"

"Nothing. We don't want to give them false hope. Bring them food, I guess. It's almost noon."

"I'll go to Granny's." He offers. "What do you want?"

"A donut." She says glumly, flopping into her seat.

"I'll be back soon." He leaves with a smile, knowing she's playing solitaire again. When he returns to the station, he groans when he sees Regina's black Lincoln. He approaches the door carefully, listening for yelling or scuffling. He sighs when all he hears is low murmurs. He opens it.

"This is an investigation, Regina, you don't have the authority to butt in." Emma says. It takes everything she has to remain calm.

"I'm the mayor." The brunette insists.

"She's right, Regina." He says, confidently walking over to his desk and sitting on it. "It's an official investigation for police only."

"Well then." The Mayor smiles coolly. "Just give me a call when Deputy Swan is on her way to Boston with them." Her footsteps echo through the deathly silent station on her strut to the door. Once she's out, Emma grabs her bag.

"She is the most infuriating woman." The blonde grumbles. "Can you bring the kids their grilled cheeses?"

"Yup." He walks into the interview room.

"Do you know anything about our dad?" Nicholas asks.

"No, sorry." The question hits him off guard, and he hates lying to them, but he trusts Emma to have a plan that will work. "Is there anything I can get you?" He places the water bottles in front of them.

"No, thanks." The two reply sadly.

"Okay. Well, Emma and I will be in soon to play with you again, if you want." He leaves and finds his girlfriend staring intently at her computer screen. "Solitaire?"

"Uh…" She exes out before he has a chance to look. He knows it's not, and the fact that she isn't lying is encouraging. "Obviously not."

"You okay?" Graham leans on the wooden desk.

"I'm _not_ letting those kids go through what I went through." She says firmly.

"You didn't answer my question." He says gently and rolls his chair over so he can be at her level without bending down, making her feel like a child.

"I didn't think… I don't know. There are days where I can mostly keep the fact that my parents discarded me on the side of a highway like a piece of trash away from the forefront of my mind. Sometimes I can ignore the scars being in the system has left on me. But this… this is too close." Emma looks at him, her face pained but determined.

"If you don't want to work this case, you don't have to." He says.

"No." She shakes her head firmly. "I need to help them."

"Okay." He knows there's no point in arguing. A little while later they go in to play Uno with them.

"Why aren't you looking for our dad?" Ava asks. Emma likes her even more.

"We're just waiting on some stuff to come back." She replies smoothly. They play for an hour, then she says, "I'm going to check on that stuff." Graham knows she's really checking on Mittens and Missy, but if the kids buy it then that's fine. She comes back an hour later, and before they know it, it's 8:00. They excuse themselves and he calls Regina to inform her they're leaving.

"What are you going to do?" He asks, keeping his voice low.

"My car is going to _break down_, and I'm going to call their father to check it out. He's going to see them and want them." She replies.

"Michael Tillman's their father?"

"Yes." She says, heading over to open the door to the interview room.

"Em, I'm coming with you." He grabs his coat.

"You don't need to." She assures him.

"It's not up for debate. I'll get your car ready. It seems more likely to have a freak break down." His tone leaves no room for argument, and she nods.

"Hey guys." The blonde puts on a false sense of bravado for the kids' sake. Inside, she's panicking because if her plan doesn't work, they _will_ be placed in the foster system and separated. "I'm so sorry, but we didn't find your father." Ava tears up and grabs Nicholas' hand.

"But you said you would!"

"I said I'd try." God, she really hopes her plan works. They trudge to her beat-up Bug and start driving out of Storybrooke. Just before the sign, she stops the car and pretends to try turning it on and off. "Crap. Graham, I need you to call the mechanic."

"Seriously?" He shoots an anxious look at her. "Maybe I can do something." Emma's surprised at how good of an actor he is.

"No. We don't have time for you to make it worse." She says with an air of feigned annoyance. Graham calls Michael and a few minutes later he shows up. He and Emma get out of the car.

"What's wrong with it?" The mechanic asks.

"Nothing." She says.

"Are you taking them to Boston?"

"We don't have to."

"You're right; you don't." Michael slowly walks over to the car and hops in the back to talk with his children about the situation. Graham wraps an arm around Emma and kisses her head when the father gives them a thumbs up. He looks down at her and frowns at first when he sees the tears on her cheeks, but then realizes she's happy. She leans into his embrace.

"You have such a big heart, Emma. You saved these kids." He says.

"Finding people's what I do." She whispers and wipes her eyes.

"You're the most amazing person I've ever met. I love you so much."

"I love you, too." In the distance, thunder crackles, announcing the arrival of the impending storm.

**THANKS FOR READING!**


	12. Chapter 12

**THANKS FOR READING!**

**DON'T OWN IT.**

The next morning, they're sitting in Graham's room, packing Emma's stuff up. Rain pelts the roof, and lightning flashes, illuminating the room. The power's been knocked out for the past hour, and thunder rumbles at an increasing rate.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay here alone?" She asks, folding a sweater.

"Yeah." He sighs. "I just wish you didn't have to leave."

"I'm not going for good." The blonde takes a break to sit next to him on the bed. "I'll still see you every day."

"I miss you already." He pulls her into a hug.

"I don't do sappy." She whines, but smiles. "Well, unless it's you."

"You got that right, Babe." He whispers.

"Come on, we can't do that now." Emma pulls away. "It's 5:30 in the morning, we have to finish packing, get Missy set up at Mary Margaret's, and get the town ready for the storm that's already beginning to make landfall."

"You mean this is only the beginning?" He gazes out the window. His face lights up when lightning flashes by the window.

"When I lived in Tallahassee, we got really bad hurricanes. This is nothing compared to what's going to hit." She answers and resumes packing.

"I'll make breakfast."

"The oven won't work."

"I'll prepare cereal, then." Graham smiles. "I got some Lucky Charms the other day... I figured you like those."

"Yes!" She yells excitedly, and perhaps a little too loudly, as well. The kittens stir. "Crap."

"It's okay. They don't need to eat until 8:30."

"They're on a schedule?"

"Mhm."

"Oh." She looks sheepish. "I didn't notice."

"It's okay." He laughs. "Caring for animals is hard."

"Caring for _plants_ is hard. When I lived in Arizona, I had a small cactus and I managed to kill it."

"That's um… that takes talent." He says, then turns serious. "If you want me to watch Missy for you…"

"No, no." She waves her hand around. "Mary Margaret will make sure she doesn't die."

"Okay." Graham laughs.

"Well." Emma says as she drops a box onto the bed. "This is the last one. Help me load it into my car and I'll come back up for Missy."

"Remember to take the food bag, not the turkey stuffer because she can eat regular cat food now." He reiterates, picking up a box. Just from being outside thirty seconds, they're almost soaked.

"Jesus!" Emma shakes herself off in the hall. "Can the cat get wet?"

"I wouldn't get her as wet as us, but a few seconds in the rain won't kill her." He replied. The blonde pulled him into an unexpected kiss which he deepened. They broke off when the need for air became an issue. "What was that for?"

"Being the sweetest, nicest, most caring man I've ever met." She smiled.

"Thanks, but what did I say?" He looks so confused and innocent that Emma has to go in for another kiss.

"I love you so much." She murmurs.

"Love you, too." He pulls her closer. "But we should get Missy."

"Yeah." She sighs. "Do you think she'll be okay without Mittens?"

"If she's not, that's a reason to move back in." He grins mischievously.

"Come on." She hits him playfully. "We gotta go get her."

"Okay." Graham whines, following her up the stairs.

"Time to go home." Emma picks Missy up. She meows. "Don't worry, you'll still see Mittens when I visit Graham."

"That means very often." He interjects.

"Yup." The blonde carefully descends the stairs, trying not to jostle the kitten too much. They make a mad dash for her car, and somehow manage to jump in without squashing her. "Not too bad." She brushes some water off of the brown fur. "I'll have Mary Margaret blow dry you."

"You _do _realize that Mary Margaret isn't a grandmother who's retired and baby-sitting the kids… or cat."

"Okay… so I'll blow dry her while you bring up the boxes."

"Fair enough." He turns onto her street. "Will Mary Margaret still be there?"

"She should be." Emma says. She heads up first to unlock the door with Missy. Graham is almost a minute behind with her boxes.

"I set up a bed for her." Mary Margaret smiles, pointing to the corner of the living room. A dog bed lies there, green and yellow striped, with a canopy, litter box to the side, food/water bowls, and a gate to keep her in.

"That looks like it was a lot of work." The blonde walks over and puts Missy down on the bed.

"It was _so _much fine!" The brunette beams.

"Where do you want the stuff?" Graham asks, his head obscured by the boxes.

"On my bed." Emma says.

"Up the stairs? Seriously?" Still, he does as told.

"I'm so excited to have you back." Mary Margaret resists the urge to hug her roommate.

"I missed you, too." The blonde smiles. Graham comes back down.

"I'm going to give you both the directions on how to care for Missy in case Emma forgets or… anything. Always leave food in her bowl, as well as water. If she feels extremely cold or warm, bring her to the shelter. She'll need a checkup every 2 months until she's one. I think that's it."

"I don't think I can forget those things." Emma rolls her eyes and saunters toward the door. "We gotta go cause of an impending storm. I'll be back tonight, but it might be a little later than usual."

"Bye, guys!" Mary Margaret chirps before finishing her oatmeal.

* * *

The cruiser's parked outside of Granny's and the rain still hasn't let up an hour later. Graham's inside getting them coffee and Emma's digging through the trunk. How they came up with _that_ arrangement, she doesn't know. He probably mentioned something about donuts. When she hears loud clicking on pavement, she groans. Sure enough, Regina's behind her in a matter of seconds.

"Look, Regina, if you want to blame the storm on me I think that's going a little far." She says, not bothering to hide her annoyance.

"Ms. Swan, I'm not here to argue. I need you to do something for me." Regina replies coolly, ignoring the Deputy's comment for the moment.

"I'm kinda busy with the storm…" She gestured to the various items in the trunk.

"It's about Henry."

"What is it?" The blonde was suddenly very alert. Regina resists the urge to roll her eyes; of course the only things the deputy decides to care about is her ex-boyfriend and son.

"Someone new came to town. He was talking to Henry."

"I'll see what I can do." Emma responds with a nod, her face softening just a little. Graham comes out, balancing two coffees and a box of donuts. She rushes over to help him. Regina stomps off.

"What was that about?" He asks, his eyes trailing after the mayor with a confused look.

"I need to check on something." She answers simply. "Can you get the rest of the storm stuff set up after giving me a ride to get my car?"

"Yeah, sure." He closes the trunk and they get in. "Have any interest in going in it more detailed?" She sighs.

"You know that guy who was heading to Granny's? Well, apparently he was talking to Henry and… I'm just going to see why he's here."

"Want me to come?"

"Your time is better spent getting ready for the storm." Emma answers, her tone indicating for him to drop the subject. He knows better than to push her. A minute later he drops her off at his house to pick up her car, and they start on their way back to the center of town. At the intersection, he's forced to turn the other way to set up sandbags around the river. The blonde walks into the diner and looks for the mysterious man. She spots him immediately. How _could _she miss him?

"Hello." He smiles. "Is there a problem?"

"You're suspicious." She says firmly, reading his face.

"Sitting in the open in broad daylight, drinking coffee? I wonder what kind of Hell I'd have raised if I'd ordered a donut." He quips.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm writing a book and… this town gives me inspiration." He answers cryptically.

"What's your name?"

"August W. Boothe. The W's for Wayne." He grins toothily.

"What's in the box?" Emma nods toward it.

"How about you let me buy you a drink and then I'll tell you." August says.

"I have a boyfriend." She replies with a glare. Two can play at this game.

"I assume he's the Sheriff?"

"Yup." She pops her 'p'.

"Fair enough." August puts his hands up in surrender and opens the box. "See?"

"It's a typewriter." Well now she feels extremely stupid.

"Am I still suspicious?" It's that cocky, sly smile that makes her snap. She slams her hands down on the table and gets in his face. The rest of the diner turns to watch the exchange. She doesn't notice, but August does.

"You stay away from my son, got it? Cause if you don't, I will take your precious little typewriter and I promise you will never see it again." She gets up.

"I didn't catch your name, Deputy…" He eyes her with interest.

"That's cause I didn't give it." She yanks the door open and closed, jingling the bell obnoxiously loud. She gets in her car and drives around until she finds Graham. He's just finishing setting up the sandbags. He waves at her. Thankfully the rain has stopped for the time being. Emma gets out and jogs to him before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him fiercely.

"Hey, Babe." He smiles, his breath tickling his neck. "Everything okay?"

"He's not going to hurt Henry. He's just a writer passing through." She says breathlessly and leans up for another kiss. Graham obliges but then holds her at arm's length.

"Em, not now. This storm is big and we really have to be ready for it."

"Fine." The blonde pouts and crosses her arms. "What's next?"

"Hmm… Well, the power's probably going to get knocked out so we should put that on the website." He answers.

"So there's nothing left to do outside." She smiles with relief.

"Yeah, I guess." He starts walking to the cruiser.

"Wait! You said we had a lot of stuff to do."

"No, I said we had to be ready… which means answering everybody's calls."

"I'll patrol while you do the website thingy." Emma grabs the keys out of his hands.

"Thingy?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Shut up." She smiles. "See you later." Graham drives back to the station and she sets out on a circle around Storybrooke. When she's across town from the school, Mary Margaret texts her that school will be let out early. The principle had sent out an email to the parents, but Henry had mentioned that Regina was in meetings yet again. Going a little above the speed limit, Emma rushes to pick up her son. He climbs into the car with a smile.

"Hi!"

"Hey, Kid."

"We've _never_ had a storm this big." He says excitedly.

"Henry, you do realize that this will be dangerous, right?" She pulls around a truck taking way too long to turn. The rain has started to fall again, and lightning flashes along with it in the distance. She doesn't want them caught out in the storm.

"I know. It's just… exciting. Wait, where are we going?" He gazes down his street, which Emma just sped by.

"I'm not leaving you home alone, especially when there's no telling when Regina will get back."

"Will Graham be there?" He grins.

"If he isn't when we get in, he will be soon." The blonde replies. Sure enough, as they round the corner to the station, Emma's Bug is parked.

"Wait, why did you guys switch cars?" Henry barely waits for the cruiser to roll to a stop before bolting out and into the warm building. She follows quickly behind.

"I was patrolling and if anyone needed to be arrested, I needed his." She answers. Graham smiles at them.

"Hello, Henry. What are you doing here?"

"Emma doesn't want me to be alone, and Regina isn't home." He notices a box in the corner. "Mittens!" He runs over.

"Seriously? You brought the cat?" She asks incredulously.

"I'll probably camp out here tonight in case any emergencies occur." Graham explains, wrapping his arms around her, stealing a kiss.

"Ew, Guys." Henry sticks his tongue out, cradling Mittens.

"Sorry." Emma laughs. "I can stay with you, if you want."

"That's not necessary. I'm sure Mary Margaret is going crazy without you."

"Really? Cause I think she's happy without the messes and burnt food."

"Well…" He smirks. "You don't really contribute to housecleaning or anything, but you certainly add entertainment."

"Graham!" She whispers harshly, jerking her head toward her son, who stands there innocently oblivious.

"In the way of drama and jokes. You're fun to be around." The sheriff saves. "But seriously, Emma, you don't need to stay. Mary Margaret needs you more than me." His explanation is cut off by squealing tires and a car door slamming. Moments later Regina storms in, her face murderous.

"You took my son!"

"No, school was let out early because of the storm and I wasn't going to let him be home alone with the storm." Emma replies with an eye roll.

"That was not your decision. You overstepped your boundaries, Miss Swan." Regina snaps. "Come on, Henry."

"Actually, Madam Mayor, it's Deputy Swan, and I didn't. As a police officer, I was only looking out for him. I would have taken any other kid back here." The women glare at each other for what seems like an eternal staring match before the brunette breaks it off; she has no rebuttal and she knows it. She ushers Henry out.

"Bye, Emma! Bye, Graham!" The boy calls. The blonde stands there, fuming, for a few moments before turning to face Graham.

"Got any alcohol locked away somewhere?"

"Actually, I do." He walks over to a cabinet and pulls out a key. "I've confiscated quite a stash from Leroy." He gestures to a wide array of bottles. "Take your pick."

"Tequila."

"Tequila it is for the princess." He brings two shot glasses over. He pours the amber liquid into it and they knock them back. "You should call Mary Margaret to tell her you won't be home."

"Graham, I already told you-" She starts, but he cuts her off.

"I know what you said. You shouldn't be driving around in the storm. The alcohol consumption probably won't be slowing down, either." He reasons. Emma keeps her mouth shut and pours another shot. She downs it.

"She can pick me up and I'll check on her then come back."

"Nope." He grins, wheeling her chair closer to him. "If you're going to go home, then go home for the night. If you're staying, then stay."

"I thought you wanted me to..?" The blonde can't figure out what he's trying to do.

"Emma." Graham laughs. "I would rather you be home to keep Mary Margaret safe, but at the same time you're safer with me and I care more about you being safe. If she's out driving you around in the storm, that's not safe."

"That makes sense." She finally gets it. "Besides, it'll be fun. Just you and me riding out a storm."

"Mhm." He strokes her hair lovingly. "Did you already forget to call her?"

"I've only had two shots." She rolls her eyes and pulls out her phone.

"Yeah, and how many till you're tipsy?" Graham raises an eyebrow.

"Five." She shrugs, her thumb punching in the last number. Her roommate picks up on the third ring. "I'm fine. No, I know I what I said and sorry I got you worried. I'm not coming home tonight. I… I have to take care of some things at the station and… If you need anything give me a call." She hangs up. Judging by the irritated look on her face, he can deduce that Mary Margaret is in mama-bear mode, even though the brunette is most definitely _not_ Emma's mother. "That woman needs to chill."

"She's just concerned."

"I don't do concerned very well. Speaking of which, stop it." The blonde reaches for the bottle again. Reluctantly, Graham lets her take it.

"Stop what?" He asks.

"You're turning into an overprotective… not a jerk." She says, and he laughs.

"Is this like the time you told Mr. Gold he was working diagonally to Regina?"

"So you guys talk about me?" Her voice is low and exasperated, but he isn't worried. If she was actually mad, she'd be pacing.

"We can't help it, Em. You're such a novelty. You're the most exciting thing since Henry was adopted."

"I'm so glad I entertain you." She smiles seductively. Suddenly the lights go out, and everything is eerily quiet, except for the pounding of rain on the roof. "Awesome." She mutters, glancing around. "Now our phones will be ringing nonstop."

"Actually," he stands up and refills his glass, "the landlines won't work. Only our cells." He walks over to a cabinet and pulls out two blankets and a pillow. He spreads one out over a rug.

"What are you doing?" She asks, pushing herself up as well.

"It's going to get cold. I thought it might be nice to have a bit of a bed and each other to keep warm." He lies down and pats the space next to him. Somehow managing to balance the two shot glasses and the bottle of tequila, Emma crawls in. "You really do love your alcohol, don't you?" He smiles fondly.

"After the shit day I've had? Yes. And tonight's going to be a _long_ night." She says, staring up at the ceiling.

"I'm sorry." He says honestly.

"It's not your fault my son had to get adopted by a sociopath and the new guy has taken a shine to him."

"Not just for that." She looks over at him finally. "I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable. I know you're not used to caring and overprotective isn't really your thing. I just… I love you so much and I'm terrified of losing you; it's not like you take many precautions, so somebody has to make sure you don't do anything too stupid."

"I…" She opens and closes her mouth, at a loss for words. "You don't make me uncomfortable, ever. You're right, I hate overprotective, but I think I can tolerate it if it's you. Not all the time, but you aren't possessive and you genuinely care. It'll take some getting used to, but…" She shrugs. "Just understand that I can take care of myself and have for so long that I don't know how to let people help."

"I know." Graham pulls her close and places a kiss on her head. Thunder claps, shaking the room. They fall asleep in each other's arms to the sound of rain pattering against the roof and lightning flashing, casting shadows along the walls for the briefest of moments.


	13. Chapter 13

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING, GUYS! SINCE THE FIRST CHAPTER, THIS IS THE ONE I'VE BEEN WAITING TO WRITE, SO I'D LOVE TO HEAR WHAT YOU THINK. I'M GOING TO IGNORE THE FACT THAT KATHRYN HAS DISAPPEARED AND THAT MARY MARGARET WAS A SUSPECT. ALSO, SHE WASN'T TAKEN CAPTIVE BY JEFFERSON. YEAH, I KNOW, I'M SCREWING UP THE PLOTLINE JUST A LITTLE.**

**DON'T OWN IT.**

Something falls outside and the two sit ramrod straight, ignoring their aching backs. Emma groans, rubbing her eyes. Graham extracts himself from the blanket and looks out the window.

"It was just a big branch." He says.

"What time is it?"

"A little after 7:00." He answers.

"Ugh." The blonde gets up. "Well, since I'm awake, I might as well check on Mary Margaret."

"This early?"

"Trust me, she's up." Emma grabs her jacket.

"Do you really have to go?" He kisses her passionately.

"Yeah." She says. "I'll see you later." Graham watches as she gets in the car and doesn't tear his gaze away until her headlights can't be seen. The fog coating the air isn't the thickest Emma's ever driven in, but her headlights still don't make much more than a dent. A little too late, she notices a figure in the road. She slams her breaks, but it isn't enough to stop her car from colliding with him. She jumps out. "Oh my God! Are you okay?"

"Yeah." The man groans, and attempts to walk. He starts to fall but Emma catches him.

"I don't think you are. Why don't I drive you to the hospital?"

"No, no. I'm fine, really. Just… could you give me a ride back to my house?"

"Absolutely." She helps him into the passenger seat of her Bug. "Are you new to town? I haven't seen you around." He briefly wonders why she's being so concerned, but then sees the gold star clipped to her belt.

"I don't get out much." He answers vaguely. "My house is right up that hill." She pulls into the driveway. "Why don't you come in? I'll make some tea."

"Okay." Emma doesn't know why she agrees. She chalks it up to the guilt about almost killing the guy. They stagger into the mansion and she takes a seat on the couch. A few minutes later, he hands her a steaming cup. She takes a sip, and they began idle chatter. When she's drank half of it, she realizes that something isn't right. "Hey, did you drug me?" She passes out. When she awakens, she's slumped over on the couch with her hands tied behind her back. She doesn't allow the panic to take hold; that won't help anything. She gets the teacup on the ground and puts a cushion over it to muffle the sound of shattering glass, and uses one of the shards to cut the ropes binding her. Just as she's about to make a run for the front door, Jefferson comes down the stairs.

"I see you're up." He smiles evilly. He holds her gun. She glares at him. _Dammit, Emma, see what caring has done to you? Now you're stuck in a psychopath's house. This is one really freaking weird town_.

"This is illegal, and I will arrest you." She says firmly.

"How do you plan on doing that? I have the gun."

"If I don't get to you first I know people."

"Oh, you mean your boyfriend who's the sheriff? The title means nothing. You don't know his true nature." Jefferson drawls, referring to the Huntsman. He doesn't know anything about letting Snow and James go. "Or Mary Margaret? Again, you know nothing, but in this world, she's useless." Emma's mind swirls around Graham, about what could be lurking behind the sweet, caring exterior. Was he a bad man in reality? She forces the thoughts from her head; she can't be preoccupied at the moment.

"What do you want?"

"So much for small talk." He shrugs, his voice tranquil. He walks over. "Get up." She glares at him again. "I said get up!" He holds the gun against her back.

"Alright." Slowly, she stands, swaying a little. The effects of the drugs are still in her system. She racks her brain for a plan. Never having been a people person, Emma's hostage negotiation skills aren't too good. She's much more inclined to take the person out through physical means (she's been in these types of situations far too often for one not in law enforcement). However, Jefferson has the gun and her chances of overpowering him while it's in his possession are slim. Plus, she has Henry to worry about. She can't go and make reckless decisions anymore. "But will you at least answer my question."

"In a minute." He leads her up the stairs to a large room filled with hats. He forces her to sit down. "I need you to make a hat that works."

"Uh… are they too big?" She asks, seriously confused. He rolls his eyes.

"I need you to put magic back into it."

"Okay." She says in a sarcastic, sing-song voice. "You're crazy."

"Do it!" He points the gun at her.

"You'll need to show me how."

* * *

When the clock hits 8:30, Graham calls Mary Margaret, praying she picks up her cell. On the fourth ring she does.

"Hello?" Her voice is hushed.

"Have you seen Emma today?" He asks.

"No, I assumed she was with you. Why, is everything okay?"

"Not now, it isn't. She said she was checking on you, and that was an hour and a half ago. I thought maybe she got caught up with some minute things, like missing cats and just forgot to call, but obviously that isn't the case."

"Have you tried calling her?"

"Ten times." He admits sheepishly. "I'm going to head out and look. Tell me if she calls."

"Graham, wait." He hears Mary Margaret's footsteps and the chatter in the background grows silent as she steps out into the hall, away from the classroom. "She wouldn't just disappear. What do you think is really happening?"

"I don't know." He runs a hand over his face. "Nobody's called in an accident. Maybe she's finally pissed Regina off a little too much."

"Graham…"

"I'll call you as soon as I know something. And Mary Margaret?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't tell Henry." He hangs up and takes a few calming breaths before heading into the brisk morning air in search of his girlfriend.

* * *

She's been trapped in that house for six hours. She doesn't know how many hats she's made. What she _does_ know is that Jefferson isn't about to give up.

"My fingers hurt." Her thumbs have numerous prick-holes because she's none too coordinated with a needle and thread. The rest of her hands are red and forming callouses.

"And you're supposed to be the Savior?" He sighs. "Fine, take a break." He throws her latest hat on the table angrily.

"Wait… Savior? Have you been talking to Henry?" She looks up at him questioningly, ignoring his comment for the moment.

"You mean the Queen's father?"

"No, my kid. Clearly you've attached yourself to his stories."

"And where do you think stories come from? Have you ever read about the Civil War? _That _actually happened, so why do find it so hard to believe that fairytales exist?" He asks, his voice calm yet frustrated in a creepy way.

"Yeah but that… there's documents and stuff proving that it was real. Besides, if fairytales were real, I wouldn't have been taken hostage by a crazy person." She says, not realizing his first outburst was because of being called 'crazy'.

"I'm not crazy! Look, I'll…" He sighs in an attempt to stay calm. "I'll make us something to eat. After that it'll be right back to work, okay?"

"Whatever." She rolls her eyes and slouches, her arms crossed. With another sigh, Jefferson closes the door and heads down to the kitchen.

* * *

Graham is just about tearing his hear out. She's been MIA for over seven hours and the reality of it is becoming all too clear. He sits in Mary Margaret's apartment, and the brunette hands him a mug of cocoa.

"It's comforting." She smiles, taking a sip of her own, then sits down next to him. "We'll get her back, Graham."

"You're sure there's no sign that she came here this morning?" He asks.

"No. Every time she opens the front door, I have to fix the rug because it always gets folded over. She usually eats something… no poptart wrappers were on the floor or in the trash, and no dishes in the sink or counter. She definitely didn't come home." Mary Margaret replies.

"So whatever happened happened between my house and here. That's almost three miles."

"You said her car… it wasn't found, right?"

"Yeah." He nods.

"She had most of her boxes in her car. Do you think...?"

"No." Graham says firmly. "No, she wouldn't have left. She's been fine. I mean, a little overwhelmed with everything but there weren't any indications that she was going to leave. Somebody had to have taken her."

"But how? She was in a car; not the easiest thing to steal. And who would want to take _that_ car? More pressing, how could someone jump _her_?" She looks up at him, blinking back tears. "She's Emma." Her voice breaks at her friend's name, and Graham instinctively wraps his arms around her.

"It's okay, Mary Margaret. We'll get her back." He repeats her words. "We just have to have faith."

* * *

"How many times do I have to tell you, I don't have magic?" Emma says through grit teeth.

"Just believe, Emma! It's not that hard." He responds angrily.

"Yeah? Well, I don't. So what are you going to do, keep me here forever?"

"If need be." Jefferson replies calmly. Emma closes her mouth, not trusting her voice not to shake. She walks over to the window and looks out over Storybrooke. He follows her.

"I _want_ to believe." She says quietly. "Because if I do, then my parents wanted me. I want that more than anything." She turns back to him, her eyes wet. "I know what it's like to want your child. I'm sorry you don't have Grace, I really am. I guess… I guess I could try making one more hat."

"Great." He smiles, visibly relaxing. She seizes the opportunity and whacks him with the telescope.

"Crazy son of a bitch." She mutters. Then she makes a run for it, somehow finding her way out of the mansion. By some stroke of luck, Graham sees her, having been retracing her steps. He doesn't bother to let the car fully stop before jumping out and embracing her.

"Em, what happened?" He holds back tears as he rocks her.

"I-I…" The blonde can't say it, so she simply shakes her head. "I didn't run, Graham, I promise."

"I never thought for a moment that you did." He pulls back to make eye contact, desperately needing her to believe it. She nods.

"I can't find my car." She's calmed down some.

"Let's not worry about that right now. Let's get you back to the apartment." He attempts to guide her to the car, but she shakes him off.

"I'm fine." She says, an edge to her voice. He wants to argue and point out that thirty seconds ago, she was being held against her will and probably almost killed, but knows better than to do that. So instead, he says,

"Ok." The two minute drive to Mary Margaret's is a silent one. He glances over at her every few seconds, praying she's too busy staring out of the passenger window to notice; she seems to be. When they get inside, he has to gently prod her to open the door. Obviously she isn't ready for the bone-crushing hug she's expecting.

"Emma!" Mary Margaret exclaims, jumping up from the couch. "Oh my God, are you okay?" As predicted, she throws her arms around the taller woman. Emma stiffens, and Graham can see that the blonde is getting uncomfortable.

"Let's give her some space." He pries the teacher off.

"Yeah, sorry." Mary Margaret smiles sheepishly. I just have to re-heat your cocoa." She heads into the kitchen. Emma walks to the couch and falls back, sighing. She closes her eyes. Graham sits next to her, but leaves a little more than six inches between them.

"You okay?" He expects an eye roll, and maybe even a glare. Instead, she sighs again in exasperation.

"_Yes_." Mary Margaret comes back out and hands the mug to her roommate, which Emma gratefully accepts. "I'm sorry I worried you guys."

"Emma, you have _nothing_ to apologize for. If anything, I should be apologizing, and I am. I am _so_ sorry. Just knowing that that happened to you because I didn't figure it out sooner…" His voice breaks.

"Nothing happened." She says, but the downward cast of her eyes tells a different story. "Some crazy guy lured me… look, I…" She struggles to find the right words. "I wasn't physically harmed. I'm fine."

"What about your hands?" It hasn't gone unnoticed by her boyfriend that as soon as the mug was handed to her, she put it down, and hasn't touched it since. It's a simple question from someone who actually cares, but it puts her on the defensive.

"I told you I'm fine." She gets up. She stomps up the stairs to her room, and they wince as the door slams shut.

"She's _so_ not fine." Mary Margaret sighs. "Last time she needed space, she went to her car, outside."

"Her car's missing at the moment. But yeah, I see what you mean. She's terrified of going outside, alone." He nods solemnly.

"I've never seen her like this." She looks over at him, her eyes glassy. "I mean, I've seen her very mad, but never scared. I didn't think she _got_ scared, at least over stuff like this." She seems to snap out of some reverie. "You should check on her."

"You think?" He gives her a wary, questioning look.

"I've lived with her for almost six months. You've changed her, Graham. Talk to her, she needs it."

"Thanks." He smiles, and pats her knee as he walks by. Cautiously, he goes up the stairs and knocks on her door. She doesn't answer, but that means she didn't tell him to go away; so, he opens it a crack. "If you're not naked, I'm coming in." Normally, he'd say just the opposite, but now isn't the time or the place. Again, she doesn't respond, so he opens it all the way. His heart breaks when he sees her sitting on the bed, cross legged, her bottom lip quivering. "Em?"

"Graham." His name comes out as a strangled sob that's being desperately fought back, a plea for him to go away. He wonders what he did to lose the trust she had once had in him to let him see her vulnerable.

"The Hell you're fine." His voice is firm but holding no anger. Emma turns her face away from him, but not quick enough to hide a stray tear. He has to restrain himself from running over and hugging her.

"I _will_ be. It's not like I haven't been in this type of situation before." Her voice shakes as she speaks.

"But Emma, you don't have to be alone until you are." He takes a step closer.

"Maybe I want to be." She shifts again so she's facing him. His heart breaks even more when he sees the tear tracks on her cheeks.

"You don't want to be alone. You just don't want anyone to see you like this." He takes another step, wanting to be there to hold her when the she finally lets the sobs out. She gazes up at him, new tears forming. "Emma, you don't have to act so tough all the time. You don't have to have walls up around me. I love you for who you are, and nothing more. I will _never_ hurt you, or run away or leave you because of your past or your emotional baggage, or whatever else comes in the way. You have every right to feel like this. You could've _died_ today. Has that even hit you yet?"

"It's crossed my mind a few times." It's meant to be sarcastic, but it comes out barely more than a whisper. In two more quick strides, he's right by her side as she's about to curl into the fetal position. He holds her up, rubbing comforting circles on her back and kissing her head every few minutes. After what seems like an eternity the sobs subside, and she's left hiccupping. "Thanks." She smiles sheepishly.

"Any time, Baby. And thank you for not apologizing. I see you _do_ pay attention when I talk to you." He grins.

"Well what do you think I'm doing, always undressing you in my mind?" She retorts.

"We could always make that a reality." He says. Emma's usual spark and sarcasm has returned, and while Graham knows she's still afraid to be alone -not that she'd admit it- he isn't quite as worried, but he still wants to stay, at least for the night. Because even if she won't let him be her knight in shining armor, he's still her savior in a tie with incriminatingly tousled hair.


	14. Chapter 14

**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS, GUYS! I HAVE THE BEST READERS AND I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR YOU. SORRY GETTING THIS CHAPTER UP IS TAKING SO LONG.**

**DON'T OWN IT.**

Sometime after 10:30, Emma's breathing evened out and Graham had carefully untangled himself and managed to get downstairs, where he knew Mary Margaret was waiting. Now, they sit at the breakfast bar, doing their best to keep their voices low.

"Is she okay?" The brunette asks, one elbow propped up on the counter, her head resting on her hand.

"_Okay_ isn't exactly the word I'd use." Graham replies with a sigh. "She's scared; that guy's still out there with her gun. I'd go look for him, but I'm of better use staying here in case he comes after her again. And I –and Emma– totally understand if you want to get a room at Granny's or something in case he does come."

"Absolutely not." Mary Margaret says, her voice firm and resolute. "Do you really think he'll try to get her again?" This time, she sounds worried.

"She's a liability to him." He doesn't need to explain further.

"Oh God." She puts her head in her hands. "You have to make sure she's okay. Don't let _anything_ happen to her, Graham."

"She's not exactly the protectable type." He chuckles. "But I promise I will, whether she likes it or not. You should go to bed. It's been a long night."

"It has." Mary Margaret agrees. "Do you want to take shifts?"

"No. I'm not going to be able to sleep knowing that scumbag's out there." He gives her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." She goes into her room. Graham climbs the stairs to Emma's and smiles as he watches her. She's curled up into a ball, holding onto her baby blanket for dear life.

"You're such a softie." He whispers, stroking her hair. "I love you so much, Emma. I can't apologize enough for what happened today. I promise I will never let anything happen to you ever again." He crosses the room and lays down on the bed. Just as he's about to drift off, whimpering awakens him. At first, he thinks it's Missy, but it soon becomes evident that it's his girlfriend. "Emma. Emma, wake up, it's me." As he moves a lock of hair from her forehead, she begins thrashing.

"No!" She yells.

"Emma, Babe, it's me." His heart breaks for her.

"Graham?" She croaks, opening her eyes.

"Yeah, Honey, it's me." He brushes another piece of hair back into place. "Jesus, Em, what happened?"

"It's been a really sucky night. I'm tired. I just want to go back to sleep." She attempts to flip over.

"Emma." He says sternly. "I can feel you shaking." He forces her to look at him, because he knows one look into his eyes will melt her resolve.

"I… he's probably out there, Graham. I didn't hit him that hard with the telescope, so he's probably not dead. Okay? That crazy son of a bitch wants me dead and he has my gun and…" she feels the annoyingly familiar throat constriction and groans.

"Princess, you're safe. You're always safe with me." He wonders just when their relationship crossed from mutual, fun flirtation to this. Not that he's complaining, of course.

"I know." She swipes at her eyes. "I hate this. Can we, I don't know… I don't want to sleep again. That nightmare sucked. I don't want to cry anymore. Uno?"

"Okay." He laughs. Magically, he pulls the deck from the nightstand.

"When did you..?" She looks at him in awe.

"You were out like a light earlier. Besides, I got an extra in case we needed an emergency Uno game."

"You're so sweet." She Emma whispers, then hugs him.

"Really?" He asks, confused. "All I did was get an Uno game…"

"It's the thought." She replies. "You're the first man to ever really care about me." She grabs the deck out of his hands and places it on the nightstand. Graham gives her a bewildered look, and she takes a deep breath. "I trust you. Before… when they were about you, you got the nightmares to go away by holding me." She doesn't need to explain further; he immediately pulls her down so she's on her side, and he wraps his arms around her.

"I've got you, Babe."

* * *

Graham cracks one eye open, assessing the situation. Emma's still asleep, and the smell coming from the kitchen indicates that Mary Margaret is up and already making breakfast. He doesn't want to get up and leave the blonde alone in case she wakes up and freaks out, but he wants to know what the teacher's plan is for the day. Thankfully, a particularly loud snore on Emma's part jolts her awake, and she groans.

"What the Hell?"

"Good morning." He smiles. She startles, and moves over a good six inches before realizing it's him.

"Jesus..."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I thought you'd be aware I was here." He kisses her forehead.

"Yeah." She mumbles, sitting up and running a hand through her hair. "Something smells good."

"I think Mary Margaret's making eggs and bacon." Graham follows her as she stumbles downstairs.

"Good morning!" The brunette chirps, putting three plates on the table. Her voice has just a little too much concern for Emma's liking.

"Hey." She smiles, then winces. "Why do I feel like I have a minor hangover?"

"You don't remember what happened yesterday?" Graham shoots a worried look at Mary Margaret, whose expression mirrors his. With a sharp intake of breath, Emma leans heavily on the table. Her friends are by her side in an instant.

"Now I do." The blonde takes her usual seat, then does her best to hide a grin. "Seriously?" Her eggs and bacon make a smiley face.

"Thought you could use it." Mary Margaret shrugs.

"You okay?" He asks, sitting next to her.

"I –yeah. Yeah, just… I wasn't expecting to remember being held captive by a crazy man who has yet to be identified and put into custody."

"I'm going to find him today." Graham tells her firmly. "He _will_ face the consequences of his actions, and that involves me."

"Don't do that." She places a hand over one of his clenched fists. "I'm okay." Now it's his turn to breathe evenly for a few moments.

"Sorry. I just… nobody does that to anyone, especially you."

"This isn't sweet anymore." She says, then gets up. "Make sure he doesn't eat my bacon." Graham's eyes trail after her as she disappears back up the stairs.

"I don't understand." He says after forking some eggs into his mouth. "A few days ago she was telling me that the overprotective thing was something she could deal with since I actually care. Now she's angry about it?"

"This is different." Mary Margaret says quietly. "She's scared, Graham. She feels like she has to prove she isn't, and she can't do that if you're in her way. It's that wall."

"I thought I kinda sorta got rid of it." He sighs.

"Maybe it's not the wall. Maybe it's just who she is." The brunette says, smirking, her voice laced with mystery and knowing. "On that note, I have a class to teach. Bye, Emma!" Quickly, the blonde comes back down the stairs, finishing pulling her black turtleneck on. Graham has to force his eyes toward his plate.

"Bye." The blonde smiles.

"I'm sorry." Emma and Graham say unanimously, then laugh a little. "No, Princess, you don't have anything to apologize for. I guess I _did_ go a little cave-man on you."

"Just a little. I need you to understand, for this relationship to work, that a lot of the things we'll come across, I've already seen. Just because I'm scared doesn't mean I'm defenseless. I once told you that I can take care of myself, and that still stands. Just… sometimes I let you help. When we do find him, today won't be one of those days. " She gives him a warm smile. "Let me finish my smiley-breakfast and I'll meet you at the station."

"I'll be with you, though." She nods in agreement. "What do you mean _meet_?"

"You should change. You've slept in those clothes all night."

"Oh yeah." He looks down at himself sheepishly. "Kinda forgot about that."

"Go now." She says with a laugh. "We don't want to be late."

"There's only one problem with your plan." He says.

"What?"

"We haven't found your car." Graham replies.

"I forgot about that, too." She stabs some unexpecting eggs with her fork. "You sure I didn't drink last night?"

"Not unless you did with that crazy guy." He answers after taking a sip of coffee.

"He drugged me, but the effects were gone after a few hours." She looks away, a puzzled expression on her face, nose scrunched in concentration.

"Well… then it was just the sobbing. I know, it leaves nasty side effects, including headaches and it kinda messes with your vision."

"Let's go." Emma grumbles, taking his hand and dragging him out the door.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Stupid cat." She stomps back in and rummages around for the bag of food, and eventually tracks Missy down. Graham opens the car door for her and gently closes it.

* * *

They get to the station five minutes late, and it's no surprise that Regina's already waiting for them.

"Not now." Emma breezes past her. Graham does the same. Of course the Mayor follows them.

"I understand that something happened yesterday."

"It's too early for your bullshit, Regina." Emma snaps, forcing herself to slowly put Missy on the floor. She kicks the food bag over so the cat can eat it. Regina rolls her eyes.

"Miss Swan, you are, regrettably, Storybrooke's Deputy. It would be nice if Jefferson wasn't out for your head."

"Yeah, it would." The blonde says sarcastically. Then, with a sigh, she adds, "Look, we're working on it."

"Good. As the Mayor, I have to ask if you're okay." Regina looks annoyed at having to say those simple words.

"I'm fine." Emma answers.

"Have a nice day, then." Her heels click on the tile floor. As she opens the door, she throws out, "Oh, and do stop getting into trouble, you two. I'm sick of having to read the incident reports." With that, she leaves.

"Psycho-bitch." Emma mutters. Graham picks the food bag up and rests it against the wall.

"Calm down, Princess." He kisses her head. "If you fill out the paperwork, I'll get you a donut."

"You will anyway." She smiles.

"You know me too well." His face reciprocates hers.

"No I don't." She sits on the desk. "I know more about you than anyone else I've ever met."

"I'm honored." He rests a hand on her thigh. "Now be a good girl and do

your paperwork."

"You're such a tease." She says, but does as told. "What're you going to do?"

"Me?" Graham laughs, pointing to himself. "I'm gonna do my morning patrol, if you're okay with that."

"He had a telescope pointing in here." She whispers. "He was _watching_ me."

"I won't go." He switches on his computer.

"No… I'll… let me come with you." She packs up her paperwork and grabs a clipboard.

"Or we could do that." He follows her out the door. They drive around Storybrooke for half an hour, hanging around the school a little longer than necessary.

"Does Henry know?" She asks, almost afraid of the answer.

"No." He replies. She breathes out a sigh of relief.

"Good. The poor kid's been traumatized enough."

"Speaking of which…" Graham pauses while navigating the cruiser around a bunch of parked cars. "We have an appointment with Archie tomorrow."

"Shit." She rubs her temples in an attempt to ward off an approaching migraine. "Let me guess: he already knows about what happened."

"By the end of the day, I think the whole town will." He says, his voice apologetic. "You should be the one to tell Henry, not Regina."

"And how exactly would I approach that? _Hey, Kid, so I got kidnapped yesterday and almost killed, but I'm fine so don't worry_. There's no point."

"Emma…"

"I want my car back." She crosses her arms and looks out the window.

"It shouldn't be that hard to spot." Graham jokes. "I mean, the thing might as well be a school bus." She looks over at him, her eyes holding an amused twinkle.

"Graham?"

"Yeah?"

"Did I ever tell you how funny and amazing you are?"

"Thank you." He smiles. "Are you okay if we stop at his house to see if he's still there? Maybe your car will be, at least."

"He's _so_ dead." Emma says confidently. His grin grows even more.

"It's good to have you back, Princess. Let's go kick some crazy person ass."


	15. Chapter 15

**MY DEEPEST APOLOGIES FOR THE MAJOR DELAY. BASICALLY I'VE BEEN SICK AGAIN, HAD A TON OF HOMEWORK, AND HAD TO GET SOME IDEAS OUT OF MY HEAD THAT WERE UNFORTUNATELY NOT PART OF THIS STORY. THANKS FOR READING!**

**DON'T OWN IT.**

They open their doors, but don't close them all the way so as not to alert Jefferson.

"So how do you want to play this?" Emma asks.

"Well… would you like to look for your car while I look for him?"

"No." She says after a moment, swallowing back whatever fear is still residing inside. "I'll go after him." He doesn't argue, knowing there's no point.

"Would you like to take my gun?"

"He doesn't want to kill anyone. In fact, the safety was on the whole time."

"Emma… I really don't like this." Graham told himself he wasn't going to say it, but he can't restrain himself.

"This is my fight." She says quietly. "Besides, I know the layout of his house. I know where he'll be."

"You make a convincing argument." He sighs. "Fine. Scream if you need anything, and as soon as I find your car, I'm coming in."

"Got it." She smiles. Then they go their separate ways, Graham grumbling to himself. Slowly, Emma opens the front door. She takes a quick glance at her surroundings, and infers that, as expected, Jefferson is upstairs. She begins climbing them, all the while silently praying she didn't kill him.

* * *

It isn't too hard for Graham to find the blonde's car. It's the biggest thing around, covered in a blue tarp. The keys aren't anywhere in there, not that that's his main concern at the moment. He speed-walks back to the front and heads inside.

* * *

"I heard what you said about me!" Jefferson yells from his perch at the window. "And you broke my telescope."

"What? That you're a crazy son of a bitch? It's all true."

"Stupid woman! Do you ever learn?"

"Can you take it down a notch, I'm already getting a migraine." She says with an air of annoyance.

"Yeah, well I've had one ever since you hit me! I have a concussion, and I have every right to be mad."

"Yelling isn't going to make anything better." She replies, forcing herself to be calm. Anger will only force her to make bad decisions.

"You're insane to have come back." He says quietly, turning back to the window.

"I wasn't done with you." Emma shrugs. She can sense Graham's presence, though it's far away. She doesn't know why, but she just knows he's here, in the house. This gives her extra confidence.

"So you came back to arrest me?" His voice is emotionless.

"Yes."

"I'd cooperate, Emma, but I can't. You see, I have to get back to Grace and being locked up won't help my cause." He smiles evilly, facing her again.

"You actually thought I'd think you weren't going down without a fight?" She laughs humorously. "I made one mistake, and I'm not making another." She takes a step toward him. He tenses. She knows Graham is getting closer, making his way to the third floor.

"Well, we have one thing in common." He too steps forward, unafraid. He's really starting to piss her off all over again. Now Graham's on the third floor, down the hall a few doors. She prays he'll leave well enough alone. Jefferson whips out her gun, and she narrows her gaze.

"Give that to me." In response, he clicks off the safety. Shit was about to get real. "Don't you think that's a little unfair?"

"I'm getting my daughter back at all costs. Don't you understand?" She does, but blocks out the wave of empathy. Now is not the time to let emotions cloud her judgment, not when so much is at stake. She senses Graham right outside the door, but out of sight.

"We have _nothing_ in common. I'm not a crazy psychopath." With a roar, Jefferson throws himself at her, discarding the gun in the process. He tackles the blonde to the ground, and she squeaks in pain as her wrist bends in an impossible way. Graham immediately rushes in, taking him by surprise and managing to overpower him. He slaps the handcuffs on, making sure to loop the chain around the steel table. Next, the sheriff turns his attention to Emma.

"Are you okay?"

"Is my car out there?"

"That wasn't my question, but yes. I have no idea where your keys are, though." He responds.

"I'll find them." She gets up slowly and walks over to Jefferson. "Where are they?"

"It'll be a fun little search for you guys." He smiles wickedly.

"Crazy son of a bitch." She repeats yet again before kicking him where it counts. Jefferson groans, but his restraints don't allow him to keel over.

"Medicine cabinet." He groans.

"Which one?" Emma asks, her voice cold and harsh.

"First floor."

"Leave him here." She says to Graham.

"Uh, Emma?"

"I'll tell you when we get outside." She leaves the room, and a reluctant Graham follows. Once on the first floor, he gives her a stern look. "I think I broke my wrist."

"Oh God… Again?"

"Can we just, I don't know… I'll get my keys and drive to the hospital while you lock him up. I'd really like to make it before the adrenalin wears off."

"Yeah, of course. Are you okay to drive?" Graham's eyes hold nothing but concern and sadness.

"I've driven with one hand plenty of times." She smiles. "Just try to hurry." He kisses her tenderly, then runs up the stairs. Emma finds her keys and walks around back to her Bug. "I've missed you." She says, then climbs in and starts the engine.

* * *

"If it was up to me, I would've made you suffer." Graham says, unlocking one hand to unattach Jefferson from the table. The latter barely moves. He laughs. "Wow, Emma really did a number on you."

"Never make her mad." Jefferson allows himself to be hauled to his feet.

"I learned that lesson a long time ago." The sheriff lets him walk slowly, completely empathizing with him. They make it to the cruiser and start the drive to the station.

"Is she okay? I never meant to hurt her." Jefferson asks, fretful.

"Broken wrist." Graham answers, his voice short and angry. In the backseat, Jefferson's head falls back against the headrest. They pull into the station. "So here's what we're going to do. I'm locking you up, then going to see Emma. If she's okay, I'll come back after she's discharged with some dinner. If she's not, then you're gonna have to wait until breakfast, if I even bring you that." He shuffles Jefferson down the hall, then locks the cell. He leaves without a word, then speeds to the hospital. The nurse at the reception desk doesn't even ask a question, but tells him the room number. He sprints down the hall, and finds Emma's room. She's slouching in a chair.

"Aren't you supposed to be laying down?" He asks.

"I don't feel like it." She says. Graham places a kiss on her head. "Can you call Mary Margaret? I know she'll be getting worried."

"Absolutely." He pulls out his phone and dials the number, then hands it to Emma.

"Graham? What happened, is she okay?" The teacher's worried voice on the other end is enough to make the blonde sigh.

"It's me. I'm fine."

"She's not fine!" Graham says loudly. Mary Margaret hears him.

"Emma, what's really going on?"

"Just a broken wrist at the most." She shrugs, even though her roommate can't see it.

"I'm coming down."

"No! You don't need to." Emma says quickly, trying to convey how unnecessary the trip would be. "I mean, I appreciate your concern, but it's fine. I'll just get a cast and be home."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Thank you, though."

"If it's more than a broken wrist, call me." Mary Margaret says firmly.

"I will. Bye."

"Bye." She hangs up, and hands the phone back to Graham.

"How are you feeling now?" He asks, sitting in a chair beside her.

"I've had worse." She shrugs again. "It's just annoying that it's my good hand."

"What's the significance of the tattoo?" He points to her forearm.

"It's an anemone. A flower. It symbolizes hopelessness. I got it when I found out I was pregnant with Henry." She responds after a moment. "I, you know, knew I was going to have to give him up."

"I see you were always cynical." He comments.

"I wasn't always this bad. Or, I guess I should say as bad as I was coming into Storybrooke. You guys have changed me."

"For the better." Graham smiles charmingly.

"Yeah, I guess." She shrugs. "Except when I care about almost running a guy over and decide to be nice and drive him home."

"_That's _how he got you inside?"

"I would never have agreed to tea before Henry came into my life again, and you." She fidgets a little bit.

"You're not feeling good." He says knowingly.

"I really wish I had stronger bones." She admits. Right on cue, Dr. Whale comes in.

"Hey, guys. Well, you know the drill. Down to imaging." He says. Emma gets up. "Oh, no, Deputy. You can't walk down, hospital policy. Please lay in the bed."

"Ugh." She moans in annoyance.

"How bad is the pain?" Dr. Whale asks, taking the brakes off the bed. Graham gets on the other side to help push.

"Seriously, I'm fine. It's like a four. Is there any bone supplements I can take?"

"Yes, I'll right you a prescription. How long ago did you sustain the injury?"

"Half an hour or so." Graham answers.

"You were with her?" Whale raises an eyebrow.

"Yeah, we had… it's a long story and I'm not at liberty to disclose such information. It's work-related." He explains. "And by the way, that four means it's actually a six, and she still has some adrenalin in her probably."

"Graham…" She rolls her eyes.

"After her X-ray, we'll get her hooked up to some morphine to take the edge off." A few minutes later, they're down to the first floor. "Our technician isn't here, so I'll take it for you. Now you're allowed to walk."

"Yippee."

"I'll see you in a few minutes, Em." Graham smiles. Five minutes later, they come back out. "Can you read it now and tell us?"

"I can." He goes inside the room for a few minutes, then comes out. "Alright, so I have the results…"

**JENNIFER MORRISON HAS SAID THAT SHE DOESN'T HAVE ANY TATTOOS, SO THE TATTOO THAT CAN BE SEEN IN SOME SCREENCAPS IS ALL EMMA'S. THIS IS PURELY MY SPECULATION AS TO WHAT IT MEANS. I MEAN, I DID RESEARCH, BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW RELIABLE A FLOWER STORE'S WEBSITE IS. ANY FEEDBACK IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!**


	16. Chapter 16

**SORRY IT'S TAKEN ME SO LONG TO UPDATE. MOST OF YOU (IF YOU READ MY OTHER STUFF) KNOW WHY, SO I WON'T GO THROUGH IT ALL AGAIN. ANYWAY, THANKS FOR READING! FEEDBACK IS APPRECIATED AS ALWAYS!**

**DON'T OWN IT.**

"Her wrist is broken." Dr. Whale says, shaking his head. "No surgery this time, but you'll need a cast. You're lucky. It's not that bad of a break, and it's clean."

"That's good." Emma says. Graham can tell that she's forcing the smile on her face.

"Originally I was thinking it might be an overnighter, but I think we can just send you home. I assume you didn't take the pain pills I prescribed last time..?"

"She didn't." Graham answers quickly.

"Then I don't need to write another prescription. I'll give you an IV injection of morphine that'll last until you get home. Where will you be staying?"

"Mary Margaret's." Emma replies, doing her best not to look at Graham and into those puppy dog eyes of his. She can feels his disappointment, nonetheless.

"Alright. I'll just be a few minutes getting your discharge papers all set." Dr. Whale disappears down the hallway. Graham turns his head toward Emma.

"Babe, are you sure? You can stay with me if you want." He offers.

"I'm fine. It's a broken wrist. I can manage with one hand."

"Emma, you broke your good hand." The brunette points out.

"Great. Then I won't have to fill out an incident report." They sit in a comfortable silence for another minute before Dr. Whale comes back in, a thin stack of paper in his hands.

"Most of this is repetitive, so I'll just go over the basics." He says. "I estimate you'll be able to get the cast off by next week, and regain some use in two. Today's what, Wednesday? Your next appointment will be Tuesday. Any questions?"

"No." Graham and Emma answer in unison. Dr. Whale smiles.

"Well, I sincerely hope I don't see either of you here anytime soon. Have a good night."

"Thank you." Emma lets Graham lead her out. When they get outside, the sun has already streaked its way across a good portion of the blue sky, its golden tendrils reaching out. The cold wind hits them, forcing both to pull their coats tighter.

"Come on, let's get in the car. I have to deliver food to Jefferson."

"Actually, I'll just drive myself home. But thanks." She offers her boyfriend a small smile. "See you tomorrow."

"You bet." He places a tender kiss on her lips. "Goodnight, Emma."

"Night."

* * *

Mary Margaret looks up from a magazine when the door opens.

"Emma!"

"Don't hug me." The blonde puts up her left hand to stop any incoming physical touching. "I'm in a bad mood."

"I know it's been a rough day, so I left your cocoa in the microwave."

"Thanks." Emma mumbles, hanging up her coat but dropping her bag on the floor carelessly. She ignores the mug and flops onto the couch.

"That bad, huh?" Mary Margaret puts the magazine back on the table, giving her roommate an expectant look.

"What?" Emma snaps out of her reverie. "No, I'm fine."

"No, you're not. You have a broken wrist that's killing you right now. Go take your medicine." The brunette says sternly, but also with concern and empathy.

"I just said-"

"You're lying. I know your tells, Emma. You're crankier than usual, you ignored your favorite beverage besides alcohol." The teacher sits up straighter, turning her body more towards her. "I know you're the type to just deal with it, but you really should listen to Dr. Whale."

"I'm an adult. I can make my own decisions."

"That's true, but you act foolish at times. You just don't know when to give in."

"Stop mothering me." Emma groans.

"Take your medicine and go to bed. Tomorrow I'll let you have Lucky Charms." Mary Margaret says.

"But it's only 6:00!" The blonde insists.

"Go to bed." The teacher gives her one of those looks, and Emma complies.

* * *

The next morning, Graham stops at the school before it officially starts to see Mary Margaret while Emma talks to Henry.

"God, she's difficult." Mary Margaret says, shaking her head.

"I know. What did she do this time?" The Sheriff asks.

"She refused to take her meds. I was about five seconds away from having to force feed them. Then she wouldn't go to bed."

"Typical Emma." He chuckles. "Bribe her with junk food."

"Or how about you babysit her? I'm not looking to get rid of her, but she listens to you more."

"Me? No, she doesn't. It's that wall. I've already seen her in one of her most vulnerable times. You haven't, not in that depth." Graham replies. "Her tough girl act already got blown with me. She feels no need to have her wall up too high anymore in my presence."

"Well, then, what do you suggest?" Mary Margaret quirks an eyebrow. "I can't exactly force her to have a mental breakdown."

"Sometimes, you just have to tell it to her straight. Call her out on it." Graham's phone vibrates. "Sorry. I've got to take this."

"That's fine. I've got a lesson to plan, anyway." The teacher smiles.

* * *

"What do you mean, you were abducted?" Henry looks up at Emma with wide, shocked eyes.

"I'm sorry, Kid, I was going to tell you the day after cause it was really late by the time I got home, but then things came up." The blonde says.

"Is that how you broke your wrist?"

"No." She laughs. "I did that kicking his ass." As an afterthought, she adds, "Rather, it was another place, but…"

"Ew. Don't continue." The boy holds up a hand. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just wanted to tell you, so when word finally reached you, you wouldn't be surprised."

"How long's it been?" He asks.

"Three days." Emma replies curtly. She's not mad at Henry, but she just doesn't want to think about it.

"Is he locked up?"

"Yes." She nods. "You should probably go inside, right? School's about to start."

"Okay. Bye, Emma!" Henry yells over his shoulder.

"See you later, Kid." She says quietly, knowing he won't hear her. Graham clears is throat a few feet away, leaning against a tree. "Oh, hi." She smiles.

"Hey." He returns it. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah. Can we stop at Granny's?"

"Of course. We have to bring Jefferson breakfast, anyway." Graham drapes an arm around her shoulder. "After that, Regina wants a word in her office." They get in the car and he drives to Granny's. Then they go to the station, and know it's going to be a long day when Regina's waiting inside, leaning against Regina's desk.

"He told you we were coming. We had to bring Jefferson breakfast." Emma rolls her eyes.

"I couldn't wait. I have a meeting in ten minutes." Regina says. "I want him released."

"That's not gonna happen. He held a police officer against her will." The blonde glances at Jefferson, who shrugs. "It's a crime, and I'm a witness."

"Unless the Mayor-"

"You have _no_ authority here. You may run the town, but you do not run the police department. I think you should go to your meeting. Now."

"Very well then." Regina knows she's lost again. She glares at the three, then saunters out.

"Good job not hitting her." Graham says, handing Emma her donut.

"I may have broken my good hand, but I still have a mean left hook." The blonde huffs.

"I'm sure you do." He says patiently. "Here's some toast, Jefferson." He unlocks the cell door and hands the plate to the man. "And some orange juice."

"Emma, I'm _so_ sorry. I never meant to hurt you." Jefferson apologizes.

"Save your breath." The blonde grumbles, her eyes icy. "Graham, you have to be my scribe for the incident report."

"I will. Let me check my email first." He logs on to the computer. Ten minutes later, he seals it in an envelope. "I can drop this of at Regina's when I do my patrol. I was thinking you shouldn't be out late considering you can only drive with one hand… so maybe you should do the morning one?"

"Sure." Emma nods. "I'll be back in an hour."

"Actually, wait a second. Are you even cleared for duty?" He asks, his voice not accusatory.

"I can pull a trigger with both fingers, Sheriff." She smirks before walking out of the station.

"You really love her." Jefferson says.

"She's my girlfriend, isn't she?"

"Yeah, but how many people would put up with her day after day? It's got to be exhausting." The prisoner insists.

"I'd do it for eternity if it meant I could spend the rest of my life with her." Graham replies with vindication, his voice firm.

* * *

Five minutes before the work day is done, Emma finally asks the question that's been on her mind since this morning.

"How long's he going to be here?"

"He's serving his sentence. Once we get a conviction from the D.A., we'll know." Graham replies, ignoring Jefferson's attempt to interject.

"Then we can send him to the state penitentiary?" Her voice is now hopeful.

"Oh no, he'll stay here." Graham shakes his head.

"So we have to deal with _him_ for years!? I think I might go into early retirement…"

"Or take up Regina's offer." Jefferson smiles slyly.

"Damn it." Emma mutters. "Graham, you can tell her." She says after a few moments.

"Alright. I'll let him out, do my afternoon patrol, and come back to pick you up for Archie's." He places a tender kiss to her lips.

"Crap. I totally forgot about him." The blonde massages her temples. "Sounds good." Graham pulls her close, and whispers in her ear,

"Are you going to be okay alone with him out there?"

"I have my gun." She whispers back confidently. "When I… that breakdown was an accident. I promise you I'm over it and fine."

"I'll only ever be five minutes away." Graham says loudly.

"See you in a little bit." She smiles.

"Hey, guys, I'm right here." Jefferson says, annoyed.

"In a minute you won't be." Graham walks over to his cell and pulls out a keychain. "You're going to run out that door and away from here when I let you out. Got it?"

"Yes, Sheriff. Thank you for your hospitality." Jefferson does as told. "Emma…" He says at the threshold. "I really am sorry." She just glares her response.

* * *

As promised, Graham is back fifteen minutes later. Emma reluctantly hops in the car.

"I'm not happy about this." She grumbles.

"I know, Babe. I think it's a good thing, though. It'll be helpful."

"Helpful my ass. I hate shrinks."

"No, you hate psychiatry. Archie's a great person."

"Fine." It's a short drive and he expertly parks the cruiser.

"Promise to play nice?"

"I'll try." She replies. When they go into the small office, Archie's already waiting for them.

"Hi." The therapist smiles. "How's your day been?"

"Pretty well, all things considered." Graham answers with a smile. "You know, I really feel like I'm over my heart attack. I have my life back, and I appreciate it more than I ever did."

"That's great!" Archie beams. "I hate to ask this, but are you just saying that so we can pay more attention to Emma?" The blonde slinks further into her chair.

"Nope. I'm 100 percent, Archie."

"You can just focus on him. I'm sure there are other issues he needs solved or something." Emma says.

"That may be true, but some of yours are blatantly clear, Miss Swan. Why don't we start with those instead of digging things up in him?" Archie suggests, his voice even.

"No, really, I'm fine."

"You said you'd play nice." Graham says.

"I am being nice." She insists. "But yeah, if we must, we can talk about my day. We let a crazy guy go."

"The same one that abducted you only a few days ago." Archie observes.

"Well, um, yeah." The blonde stutters.

"How are you doing? It must be terrifying, or scary at least."

"The first night was rough." Emma admits. "But really, I'm fine. How many times do I have to say it?"

"Archie," Graham interjects, "this isn't going to work. I know you're aware of her wall, and it's just too high and strong right now. I'd have better luck at getting something out of her, and I have. Thank you for your time, but I think it would be better spent with someone else."

"Uh, bye." Emma isn't about to argue, and she wants to get out so she can run because the disappointment in Graham's voice is clear. It's enough to make her want to cry, and she isn't about to do that in front of the shrink, and preferably not Graham. Her boyfriend pulls her to the side when they make it to the street. "I have to meet Henry." She lies, her voice wavering and full of anger as she tries to yank out of his grip. "Let. Me. Go."

"Emma…" Graham says softly, letting his hands drop from her shoulders.

"Are _you_ leaving me, too?" She asks, her voice sarcastic and venomous despite the unshed tears. She doesn't wait for his answer before walking away to the apartment. Graham's eyes trail after her. Words never seem to come out of his mouth the way he intends.

* * *

Mary Margaret puts the last of her students' essays in a red folder, then looks around the empty apartment. She nearly has a heart attack when the front door slams open and shut.

"Emma, you're home early." She smiles, figuring the anger was due to something Regina did. Instinctively, she gets up to boil water for hot cocoa. Then she takes in Emma's disheveled appearance. She most certainly hadn't driven here. "Oh God, what happened?"

"It's…" The blonde shakes her head, still blinking back tears. Graham isn't worth crying about if he never cared. At least, that's her twisted idea of love.

"Well, whatever Regina did, I think she's trying to make up for it." Mary Margaret isn't aware of how wrong she is right now. "She dropped an apple turnover off earlier."

"Coming from her, I think she's apologizing for everything." Emma laughs a little, plastering on a fake smile. "You sure it's not poisoned?" She asks jokingly.

"I don't think she's _that_ bad."

"Anyway, I need that hot chocolate you're making. Let me just change and-"

"Actually, Emma, can I talk to you for a sec?" Mary Margaret asks, her eyes hopeful.

"Uh, sure." Cautiously (because whenever her roommate wants to 'talk', it usually means she's about to be told a life lesson and/or chided), the blonde sits on the couch. Mary Margaret does the same.

"I'm sorry if I seemed mean last night. I didn't intend to come across that way."

"Mary Margaret." This time, Emma's laugh is genuine. "You weren't. You were just… a concerned friend."

"I'm glad." She smiles. "But there's more. I don't know how to put this, so I guess I'll just say it. You don't have to prove anything to me, Emma. I understand you have your walls for a reason, and that's fine. But it's not when you put your health on the line to what? To prove how independent and strong you are? It's stupid, and I won't let you do that." Emma stares at Mary Margaret, mouth agape and eyes stunned. She hadn't expected her friend to be that direct or forceful. "You trust me, right?"

"Um…" The blonde takes a few moments to recover from the initial shock. "Yeah. I do."

"Great." Once again, Mary Margaret beams. "Well, now that that's over, why don't you change and we'll split the turnover?"

"You can take your chances." Emma says, heading to the stairs. "I'll be down in a minute." Halfway up her climb, Henry comes barreling in.

"Emma! Regina isn't home and I wanted to talk about Oper-" He stops mid-sentence when he sees his teacher. "Oh, hi Ms. Blanchard."

"Hello, Henry." She smiles.

"Kid, haven't you heard of something called knocking?" Emma chastises. Then she realizes what she said, and mentally scolds herself for being so maternal. _I'm getting too good at this mothering thing too fast_.

"Sorry." The boy smiles sheepishly. "If you guys are busy, I can go."

"Oh, no. We're not." Mary Margaret pours three mugs of hot cocoa. Emma comes back down, forgetting about changing. She cherishes every moment she gets with her son. "Would you like an apple turnover?"

"Sure. Wait, where'd you get it?" Henry eyes it suspiciously. The brunette smiles at the similarities between him and his mother.

"Regina made it." She replies.

"Don't eat it! It's poisoned or something." The boy looks alarmed.

"No it's not, Henry." Emma sighs. "I'll prove it to you." Before she can reach it, though, Henry grabs it and takes a bite. "Great. Want some ice cream with that?" He tumbles to the ground. "Henry." The blonde thinks he's just faking. "Henry? Henry!" Now her voice is panicked, realizing he isn't pretending.


	17. Chapter 17

**SORRY TO LEAVE YOU WITH SUCH A CLIFFY! :D AND THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER.**

**DON'T OWN IT.**

Graham gets the call from Mary Margaret, telling him to get to the hospital quickly. He doesn't question her, and changes as fast as he can. A million thoughts race through his head, and he can't help but think that Emma's done something stupid _because of him_. He's considered the blonde much more stable than Regina, so maybe whatever happened is an accident. He blinks back tears as he pulls out of the driveway. That won't help anyone. When he arrives, he instantly knows where to go (not just because of their numerous trips to the ER) but because of the screaming match that someone in Florida could here that was currently escalating. He rounds the corner and catches Mary Margaret's tearful eyes. If she's not the one of the two screaming and it involves Emma… he breaks into a full out sprint towards the sounds. A utility closet is opened and he skids to a stop, seeing Regina once again pinned to a wall by Emma. He notes the tears on both women's faces and suddenly realizes whatever happened actually involves Henry. Taking note of him, the blonde releases the mayor and begins pacing.

"What are you doing here?" Her voice is shaky yet venomous. He sees right through her, knowing that the bitterness is only there to hide the pain.

"Mary Margaret called and I thought it was about you, but it's Henry, isn't it?" He says softly. The women nod. "I'm terribly sorry, I know this is a really bad time, but I have to ask what happened."

"Last time I checked, I'm also a cop, so…" Emma brushes past him. "Besides, we don't have time. Regina and I are going to talk to Mr. Gold." The brunette looks at Graham almost apologetically before following Emma.

"Regina." He grabs her arm, turning her to face him. "What happened?"

"I'll confess to everything once we get back. We just have to save him." Her voice doesn't sound quite as broken as he was expecting. She begins to take off again.

"Wait, I'm coming!" Graham jogs to catch up to the other two. Mary Margaret gives him an expectant look as he passes, and he just shrugs.

"Me too!" The teacher declares. Emma stops walking from her position in the front.

"No you won't. Either of you. This is something between Regina and I." She glares daggers at Graham.

"Em, if this is about last night…"

"It isn't. I'm trying to save my son." For once, the mayor doesn't correct her.

"I'll go talk to him, Ms. Swan. I have a feeling as to what he's going to say, so meet me at the library in ten minutes." Regina says. After a moment, Emma nods.

"Fine." She says. Graham waits until Regina is well out of earshot before speaking.

"What happened?" He asks softly.

"Are you asking me as the Sheriff?" Emma's voice is cold. Mary Margaret excuses herself and heads to Henry's room.

"As your boyfriend who loves you and Henry very much." He opens his arms for her, but she shakes her head.

"I don't have time for a breakdown, Graham. Besides, I'm really confused, and now isn't… I just can't… my head's spinning." At the end, Emma's voice breaks, and he instinctively pulls her close, whether she likes it or not. "It's all my fault. Regina was trying to poison _me_ and instead my son's going to die because I didn't believe him." She does her best to fight the tears, but fails.

"About the fairytale thing?"

"It's real, Graham. All of it." The blonde looks up at him with haunted eyes. Her next rant comes out in a rush. "And don't call me crazy, cause I'm still getting over the shock, and… and… you're the Huntsman, you spared my mom –and that's the craziest part, having parents that apparently really truly cared about me– anyway, you spared her life because you thought she was a great person, and for that the Evil Queen –Regina– tore your heart out because she really wanted Snow White's heart and you didn't deliver, and I owe you my life because you saved my parents on multiple occasions so thank you and Henry ate the poisoned turnover that had the apple that poisoned Snow White and now he might die if me and Regina can't figure out a way to save him–"

"Emma, Babe, calm down." He wraps his arms around her again, smiling at her babbling. "It's gonna be okay. I'm _so_ sorry about last night, the words came out wrong. I love you so much and I will never leave you."

"You _better_ not." She pulls back, smiling sheepishly as she wipes her eyes. "C'mon. We have a kid to save, and Regina should be meeting us in a few minutes." They ignore the curious stares of the various hospital staff as they make their way to the parking lot. Once in the cruiser, Graham speeds down the street to the library, just as Regina pulls in, too. The three get out and the mayor lays a guitar case on the hood of the cruiser. "A guitar? Seriously?" Emma raises an eyebrow.

"No." The brunette says rather impatiently, then opens the case.

"Why is a sword in a guitar case?" The deputy asks. Regina resists the urge to roll her eyes and sigh.

"I don't know why Rumple does what he does, but can you let petty questions remain questions?"

"Does he want me to kill you?" Emma says in a serious tone.

"Em…"

"It was a legitimate question!" The blonde insists.

"It matters not. You're not killing me, but a dragon." Finally Regina rolls her eyes, for a moment forgetting Graham's presence.

"But she has a broken wrist." Graham points out, his voice laced with concern.

"I'm assuming you already told him about the situation?" The mayor turns her head to Emma.

"Yeah." She replies.

"It has to be Ms. Swan; you can't mess with fate."

"That doesn't change the fact that her wrist is broken."

"I'm ambidextrous!" Emma shouts to break up the soon-to-be argument. "I can do it, I'll be fine."

"Emma…"

"Graham, I have in order to save my –_our_– son. Not up for discussion." She says, her voice matching her words. The sheriff glances at Regina, who only nods in agreement.

"As much as I hate to admit it, she's right."

"Great. So uh, where's the dragon?" The blonde looks around.

"In the basement." Regina leads them into the library and places her hand on the wall. It slides open. "It has to be you who kills it, otherwise I'd send your _boyfriend_ down with you."

"Is this elevator from Willy Wonka?"

"From who?" Regina and Graham ask in unison.

"Never mind." Emma sighs. "So… any tips?"

"Get the potion. Save my son." Glaring, the blonde snatches the sword from Regina. Graham reaches out to her, taking her injured hand in his.

"Don't worry, Graham." With that, she steps into the elevator. Regina lowers her down. The sheriff turns to her with angry yet concerned eyes.

"Did you just send her to her death?" He growls.

"No. As annoying as Ms. Swan is, I _do_ believe she is competent in physical situations. I wouldn't let her go if I thought she couldn't do it. My son is at risk."

"_Our _son. Me and Emma's son." He corrects.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Emma's his mother, and I may not be by blood, but I'm his father; I love that kid more than you could ever love even your biological child, if you had one." Graham knows he's saying insensitive things, but he's terrified right now. Not just for his girlfriend, but for himself. He can feel his heart beating a mild a minute, and a small voice screams at him that a heart attack could be right around the corner. Sensing this, Regina offers him a small smile.

"You won't have a heart attack. Trust me. I ripped out your heart and tried to crush it, but it obviously didn't work. And I can't do it again, so…"

"I'm worried about Emma, not me." He says. With a sigh, she continues.

"She's strong. And if she's anything like her mother –which she is to a tee– you have nothing to worry about. That wretched woman just won't die."

"Wait… Snow White?"

"Her name isn't worth speaking." Regina says dismissively with a wave of her hand.

"So it _is _true."

"You always were stupid, Huntsman." She laughs. From below them, the faint sound of gunshots can be heard. "Dear _God_, that woman is-" Graham's glare dares her to continue. "She's supposed to use the sword."

"I need to get down there." He says, making a mad dash for the lever that would bring the elevator back up.

"No! You can't!" Regina grabs him, barely constraining him. "If you stop her, Henry will die." He considers this for a moment.

"If she dies, her _and_ Henry's blood is on your hands." As he turns to storm out and visit Henry, a loud roar resonates throughout the building.

"I think she did it." The mayor looks over at him with hopeful eyes.

"Hey, Regina! Graham! I need a ride up!"

"Emma!?" He yells, eyes brimming with tears. "You're okay!" He immediately starts operating the elevator, and a few seconds later the blonde steps out, sword and a giant egg in hand, looking disheveled and winded, but still the most beautiful woman he's ever seen. He hugs her, wanting to never let go.

"Told you I'd be fine." She smiles.

"This is adorable and all," Regina says sarcastically, "but my son needs to be saved. Let's go, Ms. Swan. Give me the egg."

"Are you the one that got it out of a freaking dragon?" Emma ignores her, walking briskly out of the library.

"I know what's in it; I know how to use it." She insists. Much to the trio's dismay, Mr. Gold comes walking towards them. At the same time, all three of their phones go off. Emma and Regina lock eyes.

"Here, let me hold that for you."

"Gold…" The brunette hisses. Emma hands it over.

"Graham, watch him." As the three answer their phones, Mr. Gold kicks Graham's lets out from under him and takes off with the egg. "Gold!" Emma shrieks, then she hears Mary Margaret on the other line. "Oh my God."

"Henry." They both pale. Graham's eyes widen as he, too, receives the news.

* * *

Graham, teary eyed, stands with Mary Margaret, watching the scene before him unfold. His heart aches to embrace his girlfriend, who walks slowly to the bed that has Henry on it, tears streaming down her face. Even Regina's shedding a few, something he had thought she was incapable of.

"I love you, Henry." Emma's voice comes out as a choked whisper as she places a kiss on his forehead. Suddenly, a wave of energy radiates outward, and the boy gasps.

"You saved me."

"Kid." The blonde laughs through her tears. Graham can't stand it. He rushes in, and Regina follows.

"Oh my God." He says, ruffling Henry's hair.

"Henry, I thought you were gone." Regina says. Mother Superior stands in front of her.

"I suggest you better run and hide."

"Wait, what happened?" Emma's red, puffy eyes scan her surroundings.

"You broke the curse!" Henry beams.

"You did it, Em." Graham gives her shoulder a squeeze. "And I remember everything. Thank you." He smiles tearfully. Then, to Regina, he glares. "A wolf can never be caged. You'd better leave right now."

"Henry, no matter what anyone tells you, I really do love you." With that, the mayor leaves. The purple smoke cloud starts rolling in from the distance. Graham wraps his arms around the two most important people in his life. He knows that no matter what happens, no matter _how_ dark things may seem, there's always a light at the end of the tunnel.

**THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING, EVERYONE. YOU'RE SUPPORT WAS UNBELIEVABLE, AND I REALLY CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH. I'M SORRY FOR THE SHORT NOTICE ABOUT THIS BEING THE LAST CHAPTER, BUT I WASN'T SURE IF I'D END UP HAVING TO SPLIT IT INTO TWO, BUT I DIDN'T (OBVIOUSLY). ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU!**


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